Review article: metronidazole and the anaerobic gut flora

Metronidazole is a nitro-imidazole drug which was discovered nearly 30 years ago. Metronidazole has remained the mainstay of anti-anaerobic therapy following a change observation that its activity included anaerobic organisms. The predominant human reservoir of these anaerobic organisms is the gastrointestinal tract. In this review, the anaerobic flora and their pathogenic potential are described. The main characteristics of metronidazole and the role of selective decontamination of the gastrointestinal tract are also discussed.