A six-month audit of the isolation of Fusobacterium necrophorum from patients with sore throat in a district general hospital.

Fusobacterium necrophorum is an obligate anaerobe believed to be a member of the normal flora of the human oropharangeal and urogenital tract. It has been associated with deep-seated infections and was first described in 1936 by Lemierre, a French microbiologist. There is now strong evidence to suggest that it is also a cause of recurrent sore throat and persistent sore throat syndrome (PSTS) without leading to full systemic infection.

Antibody to endotoxin is associated with decreased frequency of postoperative infection.

According to previous studies the presence of preoperative antibodies to gram-negative lipopolysaccharides has a protective effect against postoperative infection and pyrexia in patients undergoing urologic and cardiac surgical procedures. Preoperative serum specimens collected from 86 women awaiting major gynecologic surgery were tested for the presence of antiendotoxin by a qualitative method. These patients were closely followed up in the postoperative period and any evidence of pyrexia or infection was noted.