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Journal of Clinical Pathology logoLink to Journal of Clinical Pathology
. 1979 Nov;32(11):1163–1167. doi: 10.1136/jcp.32.11.1163

Rapid diagnosis of anaerobic infections by gas-liquid chromatography.

S Ladas, G Arapakis, H Malamou-Ladas, G Palikaris, A Arseni
PMCID: PMC1145918  PMID: 41850

Abstract

It was postulated that the short chain fatty acids (SCFA) produced by anaerobic bacteria might serve as microbial markers in purulent material. Eighteen pus specimens from various sources were analysed by gas-liquid chromatography (GLC), and the SCFA detected were compared with the microorganisms isolated by conventional methods. It was found that the detection of propionic, isobutyric, butyric, or isovaleric acids by direct GLC of pus specimens is strong evidence for anaerobic infection but not specific for Bacteroides fragilis. It was also shown that the presence of succinic acid in pus specimens does not necessarily indicate infection by anaerobes. It can be concluded that direct GLC of purulent material provides a rapid and reliable presumptive method for the differentiation between anaerobic and aerobic infections.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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