Enzymes associated with the survival and virulence of gram-negative anaerobes.

gram -negative anaerobic bacteria constitute a major portion of the indigenous microflora of humans. Enzymes produced by these bacteria provide nutrients for growth, participate in the pathogenesis of infections involving these bacteria, modify the local environment so that it is suitable for growth, and alter nonnutrients in the immediate vicinity of the bacterial cell. Metabolism of compounds in the gastrointestinal tract by enzymes produced by gram-negative anaerobes may have appreciable effects on the absorption, distribution, and excretion of these compounds as well as on their biologic properties. Knowledge of the enzymes produced by anaerobes is important for understanding and possibly modulating interactions between these bacteria and the host.