Louis Pasteur first discovered the presence of medically important anaerobic bacteria in the late 1800s.1 Recall that Van Leeuwenhoek discovered bacteria using his newly created microscope in the late 1600s.
Pasteur and his laboratory were able to cultivate and describe Clostridium septicum. In addition, Pasteur observed "mixed" anaerobic infections—the presence of more than one type of anaerobic bacteria in a specimen.
Louis Pasteur penned the terms "aerobe" and "anaerobe" to describe bacteria. He realized the importance of considering the oxygen requirements when culturing organisms onto different types of agar.
Course note: Several of the commonly encountered medically important anaerobic bacteria will be discussed in this module; the listing of anaerobes is by no means exhaustive.
