Diagnosis of anaerobic infections in children.

Clinical and bacteriologic findings which suggest anaerobic infection include: situations predisposing to anaerobic infection, such as maternal amnionitis, bowel perforation or a human bite; presence of necrotic, gangrenous tissue; foul-smelling discharge or free gas; persistent or recurrent infection during the use of antibiotics effective only against aerobes, and the inability to grow organisms seen on gram stain when they are cultured aerobically. Almost all of these infections originate from the microflora of the neonate or child.