Anaerobic Health Dictionary

An antibiotic used widely for anaerobic bacterial infections (including pseudomembranous colitis) and also for such protozoan infections as giardiasis, trichmoniasis and amoebiasis.... metronidazole

A type of gram-negative (see GRAM’S STAIN), anaerobic, rod-like bacteria. They are generally non-motile and usually found in the alimentary and urogenital tracts of mammals. Often present in the mouth in association with periodontal disease (see TEETH, DISEASES OF).... bacteroides

Formerly H¾mophilus, this is an anaerobic bacteria that is a main contributor to bacterial vaginosis. It is sometimes sexually transmitted, but can stick around for years as a passive part of the vaginal flora, only to flare up. It seems to occur in up to a quarter of relatively monogamous women and in half of women with multiple male partners. As bacterial vaginosis, Gardnerella is one of the three main causes of vaginal discharges, along with Trichomonas and Candida albicans. Antibiotic therapy for male partners seems of only marginal value, and the distinguishing characteristic of the infection is nearly no Lactobacillus vaginal presence, the main part of the flora that retains the lactic acid and peroxide balance so important in a healthy vagina. Live culture yogurt, as both food and douches help the problem.... gardnerella

A chronic infectious condition caused by an anaerobic micro-organism, Actinomyces israelii, that often occurs as a COMMENSAL on the gums, teeth and tonsils. Commonest in adult men, the sites most affected are the jaw, lungs and intestine, though the disease can occur anywhere. Suppurating granulomatous tumours develop which discharge an oily, thick pus containing yellowish (‘sulphur’) granules. A slowly progressive condition, actinomycosis usually responds to antibiotic drugs but improvement may be slow and surgery is sometimes needed to drain infected sites. Early diagnosis is important. Treatment is with antibiotics such as penicillin and tetracyclines. The disease occurs in cattle, where it is known as woody tongue.... actinomycosis

The use of the natural properties of living things to remove hazards that threaten human and animal health. When a pollutant ?rst appears in a local environment, existing microorganisms such as bacteria attempt to make use of the potential source of energy and as a side-e?ect detoxify the polluting substance. This is an evolutionary process that normally would take years.

Scientists have engineered appropriate genes from other organisms into BACTERIA, or sometimes plants, to accelerate this natural evolutionary process. For e?ective ‘digestion of waste’, a micro-organism must quickly and completely digest organic waste without producing unpleasant smells or noxious gases, be non-pathogenic and be able to reproduce in hostile conditions. For example, American researchers have discovered an anaerobic bacterium that neutralises dangerous chlorinated chemical compounds such as trichlorethane, which can pollute soil, into a harmless molecule called ethens. But the bacteria do not thrive in soil. So the dechlorinating genes in this bacterium are transferred to bacteria that are acclimatised to living in toxic areas and can more e?ciently carry out the required detoxi?cation. Other research has been aimed at detoxifying the byproducts of DDT, a troublesome and resistant pollutant. Bioremediation should prove to be an environmentally friendly and cost-e?ective alternative to waste incineration or chemically based processes for washing contaminated soils.... bioremediation

The toxin of the anaerobic bacterium CLOSTRIDIUM botulinum is now routinely used to treat focal DYSTONIA in adults. This includes blepharospasm (see EYE, DISORDERS OF), SPASMODIC TORTICOLLIS, muscular spasms of the face, squint and some types of tremor. Injected close to where the nerve enters the affected muscles, the toxin blocks nerve transmissions for up to four months, so relieving symptoms. The toxin is also used in cerebral palsy. Although very e?ective, there are many possible unwanted effects, especially if too high a dose is used or the injection is misplaced.... botulinum toxin

A rare type of food poisoning with a mortality greater than 50 per cent, caused by the presence of the exotoxin of the anaerobic bacterium Clostridium botulinum, usually in contaminated tinned or bottled food. Symptoms develop a few hours after ingestion.

The toxin has two components, one having haemagglutinin activity and the other neurotoxic activity which produces most of the symptoms. It has a lethal dose of as little as 1 mg/kg and is highly selective for cholinergic nerves. Thus the symptoms are those of autonomic parasympathetic blockade (dry mouth, constipation, urinary retention, mydriasis, blurred vision) and progress to blockade of somatic cholinergic transmission (muscle weakness). Death results from respiratory muscle paralysis. Treatment consists of supportive measures and 4 aminopyridine and 3, 4 di-aminopyridine, which may antagonise the e?ect of the toxin.... botulism

Intestinal bacilli that are gram-negative, sugar-digesting, and both aerobic and anaerobic. They are usually from the family Enterobacteriaceae; Escherichia coli is the best known of the group.... coliform bacteria

A genus of aerobic and anaerobic gram-positive (see GRAM’S STAIN) bacteria, widely distributed and best known as parasites and pathogens in humans. C. diphtheria, a prime example, causes diphtheria.... corynebacteria

It is the waste product of creatine, an enzyme found in large amounts throughout the tissues, and mainly excreted in the urine. The parent compound creatine enables the body to use the “blue flame” of anaerobic combustion (as opposed to the yellow flame of oxidation). Elevated creatinine in the blood may be an early symptom of kidney disease.... creatinine

In a resting individual the potential OXYGEN supply to the tissues is greater than its consumption. During heavy exercise, the energy required by the tissues is greater than can be supplied by aerobic cellular metabolism and the additional energy is supplied by a biochemical reaction called anaerobic metabolism. There is a build-up of lactate – a product of LACTIC ACID

– from anaerobic metabolism which is ultimately oxidised after conversion to citrate and metabolism via the citric acid cycle. The increased amount of oxygen above resting concentrations which needs to be consumed to perform this metabolism is known as the oxygen debt or de?cit.... oxygen deficit

This is short for Staphylococcus, a genus of micrococci bacteria with many members that can cause disease. They are gram-positive, nonmotile bacteria that are aerobic-(unless they need to be anaerobic). Staph of various types are responsible for boils and carbuncles; they may be involved in impetigo, toxic shock syndrome, endocarditis, osteomyelitis, and urinary tract infections, as well as some food poisoning. They stay around hospitals and veterinary clinics waiting to get you. They are also a normal part of the mouth, throat, and skin flora in a third to a half of all of us, causing no problems, but just waiting. Staph has always been with us. Some even eat our antibiotics for breakfast.... staph

Linn.

Family: Rosaceae.

Habitat: British and European hedge plant, met with in the temperate Himalayas of Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh at an altitude of 1,800-3,000 m. (The plant does not thrive in the plains of India.)

English: English Hawthorn.

Folk: Ring, Ringo, Pingyat, Phindak, Ban Sanjli (Punjab hills).

Action: Coronary vasodilator (strengthens heart muscle without increasing the beat in coronary arteries), antispasmodic, antihypertensive, sedative to nervous system, diuretic.

Key application: In cases of cardiac insufficiency Stage II as defined by NYHA (New York Heart Association). An improvement of subjective findings as well as an increase in cardiac work tolerance, a decrease in pressure/heart rate product, an increase in the ejection fraction and a rise in the anaerobic threshold have been established in human pharmacological studies. (German Commission E, WHO.)

The active principles include oligo- meric procyanidins and flavonoids.

The drug is official in Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia of India.

Contraindicated in low blood pressure, chest pain, bleeding disorders. The herb may interfere with therapeutic effect of cardiac drugs. (Sharon M. Herr.) Preparations based on hydroal- coholic extracts of Crataegus monogy- na or C. laevigata are used as Hawthorn in the Western herbal.... crataegeus oxyacantha

This illness is characterised by vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pain, and results from eating food contaminated with metallic or chemical poisons, certain micro-organisms or microbial products. Alternatively, the foods – such as undercooked red kidney beans or ?sh of the scombroid family (mackerel and tuna) – may contain natural posions. Food poisoning caused by chemical or metallic substances usually occurs rapidly, within minutes or a few hours of eating. Among micro-organisms, bacteria are the leading cause of food poisoning, particularly Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium perfringens (formerly Cl. welchii), Salmonella spp., Campylobacter jejuni, and Escherichia coli O157.

Staphylococcal food poisoning occurs after food such as meat products, cold meats, milk, custard and egg products becomes contaminated before or after cooking, usually through incorrect handling by humans who carry S. aureus. The bacteria produce an ENTEROTOXIN which causes the symptoms of food poisoning 1–8 hours after ingestion. The toxin can withstand heat; thus, subsequent cooking of contaminated food will not prevent illness.

Heat-resistant strains of Cl. perfringens cause food poisoning associated with meat dishes, soups or gravy when dishes cooked in bulk are left unrefrigerated for long periods before consumption. The bacteria are anaerobes (see ANAEROBE) and form spores; the anaerobic conditions in these cooked foods allow the germinated spores to multiply rapidly during cooling, resulting in heavy contamination. Once ingested the bacteria produce enterotoxin in the intestine, causing symptoms within 8–24 hours.

Many di?erent types of Salmonella (about 2,000) cause food poisoning or ENTERITIS, from eight hours to three days after ingestion of food in which they have multiplied. S. brendeny, S. enteritidis, S. heidelberg, S. newport and S. thompson are among those commonly causing enteritis. Salmonella infections are common in domesticated animals such as cows, pigs and poultry whose meat and milk may be infected, although the animals may show no symptoms. Duck eggs may harbour Salmonella (usually S. typhimurium), arising from surface contamination with the bird’s faeces, and foods containing uncooked or lightly cooked hen’s eggs, such as mayonnaise, have been associated with enteritis. The incidence of human S. enteritidis infection has been increasing, by more than 15-fold in England and Wales annually, from around 1,100 a year in the early 1980s to more than 32,000 at the end of the 1990s, but has since fallen to about 10,000. A serious source of infection seems to be poultry meat and hen’s eggs.

Although Salmonella are mostly killed by heating at 60 °C for 15 minutes, contaminated food requires considerably longer cooking and, if frozen, must be completely thawed beforehand, to allow even cooking at a su?cient temperature.

Enteritis caused by Campylobacter jejuni is usually self-limiting, lasting 1–3 days. Since reporting of the disease began in 1977, in England and Wales its incidence has increased from around 1,400 cases initially to nearly 13,000 in 1982 and to over 42,000 in 2004. Outbreaks have been associated with unpasteurised milk: the main source seems to be infected poultry.

ESCHERICHIA COLI O157 was ?rst identi?ed as a cause of food poisoning in the early 1980s, but its incidence has increased sharply since, with more than 1,000 cases annually in the United Kingdom in the late 1990s. The illness can be severe, with bloody diarrhoea and life-threatening renal complications. The reservoir for this pathogen is thought to be cattle, and transmission results from consumption of raw or undercooked meat products and raw dairy products. Cross-infection of cooked meat by raw meat is a common cause of outbreaks of Escherichia coli O157 food poisoning. Water and other foods can be contaminated by manure from cattle, and person-to-person spread can occur, especially in children.

Food poisoning associated with fried or boiled rice is caused by Bacillus cereus, whose heat-resistant spores survive cooking. An enterotoxin is responsible for the symptoms, which occur 2–8 hours after ingestion and resolve after 8–24 hours.

Viruses are emerging as an increasing cause of some outbreaks of food poisoning from shell?sh (cockles, mussels and oysters).

The incidence of food poisoning in the UK rose from under 60,000 cases in 1991 to nearly 79,000 in 2004. Public health measures to control this rise include agricultural aspects of food production, implementing standards of hygiene in abattoirs, and regulating the environment and process of industrial food production, handling, transportation and storage.... food poisoning

A glycopeptide antibiotic (see ANTIBIOTICS) which acts against aerobic and anaerobic gram-positive (see GRAM’S STAIN) bacteria. Like the similar drug, VANCOMYCIN, it is given in the prophylaxis and treatment of ENDOCARDITIS and other serious infections caused by gram-positive cocci, including STAPHYLOCOCCUS, which have developed resistance to other antibiotics. Its long duration of action means that it need be given only once a day. Teicoplanin can be given intramuscularly or intravenously. Its use should be carefully monitored as there is a range of adverse effects.... teicoplanin

A cutaneous ulcer seen particularly in malnourished individuals. The cause of these ulcers is often ascribed to a synergistic infection by the spirochaete Treponema vincentii and the anaerobic Gram negative rod, Fusobacterium nucleatum.... tropical ulcer

A colourless and odourless gas of molecular weight 32. It constitutes just less than 21 per cent of the earth’s atmosphere. As a medical gas, it is supplied in the UK compressed at high pressure (13,600 kilopascals (KPa)) in cylinders which are black with white shoulders. In hospitals, oxygen is often stored as a liquid in insulated tanks and controlled evaporation allows the gas to be supplied via a pipeline at a much lower pressure.

Oxygen is essential for life. It is absorbed via the lungs (see RESPIRATION) and is transported by HAEMOGLOBIN within the ERYTHROCYTES to the tissues. Within the individual cell it is involved in the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), a compound that stores chemical energy for muscle cells, by the oxidative metabolism of fats and carbohydrates. HYPOXIA causes anaerobic metabolism with a resulting build-up in LACTIC ACID, the result of muscle cell activity. If severe enough, the lack of ATP causes a breakdown in cellular function and the death of the individual.

When hypoxia occurs, it may be corrected by giving supplemental oxygen. This is usually given via a face mask or nasal prongs or, in severe cases, during ARTIFICIAL VENTILATION OF THE LUNGS. Some indications for oxygen therapy are high altitude, ventilatory failure, heart failure, ANAEMIA, PULMONARY HYPERTENSION, CARBON MONOXIDE (CO) poisoning, anaesthesia and post-operative recovery. In some conditions – e.g. severe infections with anaerobic bacteria and CO poisoning – hyperbaric oxygen therapy has been used.... oxygen

A vaginal infection characterized by a smelly discharge and the presence of Gardnerella, Mycoplasma, and other anaerobic bacteria, with the lack of Lactobacillus species.... vaginosis

Requiring oxygen to live, function, and grow.

Humans and many other forms of life are dependent on oxygen for “burning” foods to produce energy (see metabolism).

In contrast, many bacteria thrive without oxygen and are described as anaerobic.... aerobic

Single-celled microorganisms that are invisible to the naked eye. The singular form of the term is bacterium. Abundant in the air, soil, and water, most bacteria are harmless to humans. Some bacteria, such as those that live in the intestine, are beneficial and help to break down food for digestion. Bacteria that cause disease are known as pathogens and are classified by shape into 3 main groups: cocci (spherical); bacilli (rod-shaped); and spirochaetes or spirilla (spiral-shaped). Many bacteria have whip-like threads called flagella, which enable them to move in fluids, and pili, which anchor them to other cells.

Aerobic bacteria require oxygen to grow and multiply; in the body, these are most commonly found on the skin or in the respiratory system. Anaerobic bacteria thrive where there is no oxygen, deep within tissue or wounds. They reproduce by simple division, which can take place every 20 minutes. Some bacteria also produce spores that can survive high temperatures, dry conditions, and lack of nourishment; and some produce poisons (either endotoxins or exotoxins) that are harmful to human cells.

The body’s immune system attacks invading bacteria, but in some cases treatment with antibiotic drugs is necessary and will speed recovery. Superficial inflammation and infected wounds may be treated with antiseptics. Immunity to invading bacterial diseases, such as some types of meningitis, can be acquired by active immunization. (See also infectious disease.)... bacteria

An inadequate supply of oxygen to the tissues. Temporary hypoxia may result from strenuous exercise. More serious causes include impaired breathing (see respiratory failure), ischaemia, and severe anaemia. A rare cause is carbon monoxide poisoning. Severe, prolonged hypoxia may lead to tissue death.

Hypoxia in muscles forces the muscle cells to produce energy anaerobically, which can lead to cramps. Hypoxia in heart muscle may cause angina pectoris. Hypoxia of the brain causes confusion, dizziness, and incoordination, causing unconsciousness and death if persistent. Hypoxia can be assessed by using an oximeter to measure the oxygen concentration of blood in the tissues. Severe hypoxia may require oxygen therapy or artificial ventilation.... hypoxia

A weak acid that is produced when body cells break down glucose by anaerobic metabolism in order to produce energy. Lactic acid is produced by muscles during vigorous exercise and is one of the factors that contribute to cramp. The acid is also produced in body tissues when they receive insufficient oxygen due to impairment of their blood supply in a heart attack (see myocardial infarction or shock).... lactic acid

An antibacterial drug that is particularly useful in treating anaerobic infections.

It is also used, together with other drugs, to eradicate HELICOBACTER PYLORI infection.

Side effects may include nausea, vomiting, gastrointestinal disturbances, headache, and dizziness.... tinidazole

A programme of exercises that is undertaken to prepare for a particular sport.

Training may be concentrated on improving skills or on improving physical fitness.

Fitness training should include both aerobic and anaerobic exercises, which together build up strength, flexibility, and endurance.

Interval training is a type of fitness programme in which a particular exercise is repeated several times with a rest period between.

Circuit training consists of performing a set number of different exercises.... training

n. a genus of Gram-negative anaerobic rod-shaped bacteria widely distributed in nature. The organisms cause infections of the intestinal and urinary tracts, gall bladder, and the meninges that are usually secondary, occurring in the elderly, newborn, debilitated, and immunocompromised.... citrobacter

n. a genus of mostly Gram-positive anaerobic spore-forming rodlike bacteria commonly found in soil and in the intestinal tract of humans and animals. Many species cause disease and produce extremely potent *exotoxins. C. botulinum grows freely in badly preserved canned foods, producing a toxin causing serious food poisoning (*botulism); an extremely dilute form of this toxin is now used to treat muscle spasm (see botulinum toxin). C. histolyticum, C. oedematiens, and C. septicum all cause *gas gangrene when they infect wounds. C. tetani lives as a harmless *commensal in the intestine but causes *tetanus on contamination of wounds (with manured soil). The species C. perfringens – Welch’s bacillus – causes blood poisoning, *food poisoning, and gas gangrene. Overgrowth of Clostridium difficile (often shortened to C. diff), a normal inhabitant of the human large intestine, is not uncommon as a complication of some antibiotic therapy and produces a specific condition – pseudomembranous colitis (see pseudomembrane) – which is life-threatening unless treated promptly and is becoming more common as a hospital-acquired infection.... clostridium

n. a genus of Gram-negative rodlike bacteria with tapering ends. Most species are normal inhabitants of the mouth of animals and humans and produce no harmful effects, but anaerobic Fusobacterium species are associated with *ulcerative gingivitis.... fusobacterium

gangrene of tissues produced by different bacteria acting together, usually a mixture of aerobic and anaerobic organisms. Particular forms are Meleney’s gangrene (of the abdominal wall) and Fournier’s gangrene (of the scrotal area). Synergistic gangrene has a pronounced tendency to spread along fascial planes, causing *necrotizing fasciitis.... synergistic gangrene

n. a genus of anaerobic spirochaete bacteria. All species are parasitic and some cause disease in animals and humans: T. carateum causes *pinta, T. pallidum *syphilis, and T. pertenue *yaws.... treponema

acute painful gingivitis with ulceration, in which the tissues of the gums are rapidly destroyed. Occurring mainly in debilitated patients, it is associated with anaerobic microorganisms (see Fusobacterium; Bacteroides) and is accompanied by an unpleasant odour. Treatment is with *metronidazole and a careful and thorough regime of oral hygiene supplemented with oxidizing mouthwashes. In the past ulcerative gingivitis has been called acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis (ANUG), Vincent stomatitis, or Vincent’s angina. A rare complication of severe ulcerative gingivitis is a *noma.... ulcerative gingivitis

n. a genus of aerobic or facultatively anaerobic Gram-negative bacteria that are parasites of animals and humans. Y. pestis causes bubonic *plague; Y. enterocolitica causes intestinal infections.... yersinia