Obligate anaerobic microbes in obstetric and gynecologic diseases

: The paper reviews recent-years' papers and the data of their own investigations on a role of obligate anaerobic microbes in obstetric and gynecological abnormality. The fact that secondary pelvic inflammatory processes caused chiefly by non spore-forming anaerobes is ascertained. There is evidence that obligate anaerobic bacteria are involved in the abnormality directly unassociated with the development of an inflammatory process: preterm labor, premature discharge of amniotic fluid, intranatal fetal hypoxia, respiratory distress syndrome and hyaline membrane disease of the premature newborn. Among vaginal infections the key role is played by bacterial vaginosis which is, from the pathophysiological point of view, now a severe derangement of the vaginal environment system with greatly prevalent obligate anaerobic bacteria and without lactoflora. Complications associated with this abnormality are noted.