[Preventive drug therapy against anaerobic bacteria].

Anaerobic organisms can found normally in be normally major i.e. the upper airways, the gastrointestinal tract (beyond the caecum) and the female genital tract. Whereas the first group of microorganisms is usually sensitive to penicillin, the others are sensitive to clindamycin, metronidazole and chloramphenicol. An appropriate prophylactic regimen will have to comply with these microbiological data. Prophylactic antibiotics should be started during operation and should be given for a short period of time; their efficacy has been proved and confirmed, particularly in bowel surgery. Nevertheless, side-effects should be carefully watched for.