ABSTRACT
The perception that anaerobes have little or no role in many infections originates from the fact
that many past studies did not attempt to identify such a role or used improper methods for
collecting specimens for anaerobes. Therefore, carefully assessing studies for methodological
properties before judging their ability to determine the role of anaerobes in an infectious
process is essential. Multiple examples of differences in the rate of recovery of anaerobic
bacteria between studies that used proper techniques and those that used improper techniques
can be found.
