[Necrobacillosis]

Necrobacillosis is an infection caused by the anaerobic Gram-negative rod Fusobacterium necrophorum. The infection is most common in previously healthy young adults and is characterised by sore throat followed by rigors, septicaemia and the formation of metastatic abscesses, often in the lungs. The infection has a certain mortality, which is reduced when early and sufficient treatment is administered. The treatment is a prolonged course of penicillin and/or metronidazole. Two case histories and a review of the literature are presented. The purpose of this article is to make the clinician aware of the syndrome, which is so characteristic that the diagnosis can be made from the clinical picture alone before bacteriological verification.