Fusobacterium species
MICROBIOLOGY
- Anaerobic, Gram-negative bacteria
- Slender rods with pointed ends [Fig] but sometimes appear pleomorphic (coccoid, spheroid).
- May grow under anaerobic conditions on a number of media: e.g., CVE (crystal-violet erythromycin) agar, modified chopped meat medium added with 2% agar or Brucella blood agar.
- Multiple species but usually two account for most human disease:
- Fusobacterium nucleatum: part of dental plaque flora, also cause of invasive infection of head/neck and elsewhere.
- F. necrophorum: cause of pharyngotonsillitis, Lemierre syndrome (septic jugular vein thrombophlebitis) and peritonsillar abscess, especially children and young adults
- Other: F. mortiferum (occasional cause of bacteremia)
- Fusobacterium spp. are sensitive to colistin and kanamycin, which distinguishes them from Bacteroides and Porphyromonas.
- Slender rods with pointed ends [Fig] but sometimes appear pleomorphic (coccoid, spheroid).
- Produces significant LPS which may account for virulence.
- Historically, thought to be part of normal human flora, now some believe to be more likely a pathogen if recovered, especially F. nucleatum.
There's more to see -- the rest of this topic is available only to subscribers.
Last updated: January 14, 2021
Citation
"Fusobacterium Species." Johns Hopkins ABX Guide, The Johns Hopkins University, 2021. Pediatrics Central, peds.unboundmedicine.com/pedscentral/view/Johns_Hopkins_ABX_Guide/540675/all/Fusobacterium_species.
Fusobacterium species. Johns Hopkins ABX Guide. The Johns Hopkins University; 2021. https://peds.unboundmedicine.com/pedscentral/view/Johns_Hopkins_ABX_Guide/540675/all/Fusobacterium_species. Accessed September 29, 2023.
Fusobacterium species. (2021). In Johns Hopkins ABX Guide. The Johns Hopkins University. https://peds.unboundmedicine.com/pedscentral/view/Johns_Hopkins_ABX_Guide/540675/all/Fusobacterium_species
Fusobacterium Species [Internet]. In: Johns Hopkins ABX Guide. The Johns Hopkins University; 2021. [cited 2023 September 29]. Available from: https://peds.unboundmedicine.com/pedscentral/view/Johns_Hopkins_ABX_Guide/540675/all/Fusobacterium_species.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
TY - ELEC
T1 - Fusobacterium species
ID - 540675
Y1 - 2021/01/14/
BT - Johns Hopkins ABX Guide
UR - https://peds.unboundmedicine.com/pedscentral/view/Johns_Hopkins_ABX_Guide/540675/all/Fusobacterium_species
PB - The Johns Hopkins University
DB - Pediatrics Central
DP - Unbound Medicine
ER -