Fusobacterium
genus of bacteria
Fusobacterium is a genus of obligate anaerobic, Gram-negative, non-sporeforming bacteria belonging to Gracilicutes. Individual cells are slender, rod-shaped bacilli with pointed ends. Fusobacterium was discovered in 1900 by Courmont and Cade and is common in the flora of humans.
Strains of Fusobacterium can cause several human diseases and infections, including periodontal diseases,
Lemierre's syndrome, oral, head, and neck infections, as well as colorectal cancer and topical skin ulcers.
It has been tied to HIV infection and suboptimal immune recovery. Detection of Fusobacterium is typically through surgical retrieval of tissue, fecal tests, or blood tests in patients showing symptoms. Early detection is preferred and helps to prevent further disease progression.
Although older sources state that Fusobacterium is part of the normal flora of the human oropharynx, the current consensus is that Fusobacterium should always be treated as a pathogen. There are thirteen described Fusobacterium strains; the predominant one affecting humans is F. nucleatum, followed by F. necrophorum, which also affects animals, mainly cattle.
Background
History
Although the genus was not discovered until 1900 by Courmont and Cade, the first documented Fusobacterium infection was reported in 1898 by Veillon and Zuber, who described a case of systemic infection in a young child.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Fusobacterium” is genus of bacteria. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Fusobacterium, genus and bacteria, not as a finished interpretation.
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The phrase “genus of bacteria” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Datasets, specimens, observations and peer-reviewed methods provide the appropriate test for the technical claims summarized here. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 11, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2720082. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1900 and 1898.
Scientific names, classifications and consensus can change while older terminology persists in catalogues and historical literature. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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This entry incorporates text from “Fusobacterium” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.