Often surgery and chemotherapy are required in the treatment of bacteroides infection.
In chemotherapy the drug of choice is metronidazole (orally: 800mg initially then 400mg every 8 hours, or, rectally: 1g 8-hourly for 3 days, then 1g every 12 hours). The use of metronidazole prophylactically in colorectal surgery reduces the incidence of this type of infection as a postoperative complication.
Other drugs that are effective against bacteroides infection include:- carbenicillin and ticarcillin (BNF 5.1.1.4); cefoxitin (BNF 5.1.2) recommended for abdominal sepsis such as peritonitis; clindamycin and lincomycin (BNF 5.1.6).
Surgery may be required to drain abscesses.
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