Anaerobic infections after gynecologic operations: bacteriological study

ABSTRACT

Anaerobes were isolated from 48% of postoperative infected gynecologic operations. The high rate of anaerobe recovery could be attributed to the collection of acceptable specimens onto serum wet cotton swabs, to the rapid transport in Stuart's transport medium, anaerobic enrichment in cooked meat medium, immediate appropriate plating of specimens upon arrival in the laboratory and the toxemic criteria determined by various specific biochemical patterns. In 73.9% of cases they could be only recovered after anaerobic enrichment into cooked meat medium and the rest on direct anaerobic plating. Anaerobic Gram-negative bacilli were the major anaerobic isolates followed by anaerobic Gram-positive cocci. Bacteroides fragiles was the principal pathogen constituting 41.7% of recovered anaerobes. Peptococci formed 25% of anaerobes, while each of fusibacterium and peptostreptococci 16.7%. No anaerobe was isolated in pure culture but as a rule mixed with aerobes and facultative anaerobes which emphasizes a synergistic process playing a complex ecosystem