Affiliations: Departments of Pediatrics and Medicine, Georgetown
University School of Medicine, Washington, DC, USA
Note: [] Correspondence: Itzhak Brook, MD, MSc, 4431 Albemarle St. NW,
Washington DC 20016, USA. Tel.: +1 202 744 8211; Fax: +1 202 244 6809; E-mail:
[email protected]
Abstract: Anaerobes are the predominant components of oropharyngeal mucous
membranes bacterial flora, and are therefore a common cause of bacterial
infections of endogenous origin of upper respiratory tract and head and neck in
children. This review summarizes the aerobic and anaerobic microbiology and
antimicrobial therapy of acute and chronic upper respiratory tract infection
and other head and neck infections. These infections include acute and chronic
otitis media, mastoiditis and sinusitis, pharyngo-tonsillitis, peritonsillar,
retropharyngeal and parapharyngeal abscesses, suppurative thyroiditis, cervical
lymphadenitis, parotitis, siliadenitis, and deep neck infections including
Lemierre syndrome. The recovery from these infections depends on prompt and
proper medical and when indicated also surgical management.
