Anaerobic organisms in postoperative wounds.

Abstract

SUMMARY A survey of the bacteria found in postoperative wounds was undertaken during a 14-month period. The yields of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria in 65 appendicectomy wounds were compared; 42 wounds yielded aerobes and 51 anaerobes. Seventy-eight other operation wounds yielded anaerobes, and, overall, 33 wounds yielded anaerobes only. Bacteroides sp were the most common anaerobic organisms isolated from all operation sites except the lung.The examination of infected postoperative wounds for bacteria permits rational chemotherapy. Previous reports of bacteria found in postoperative wounds have shown a predominance of aerobes over anaerobes. In two large national surveys (National Academy of Sciences-National Research Council, 1964; Public Health Laboratory Service, 1960) anaerobes were isolated from only 2-3 % of sampled wounds in one, and were not mentioned in the other. More recent surveys (Hoffmann and Gierhake, 1969;Gupta et al., 1972;Peach and Hayek, 1974) Received for publication 17 July 1978 medium. They were sent to the laboratory via the hospital portering system. The survey was limited to the first specimen taken from each wound. MICROSCOPIC EXAMINATIONA Gram film was made from each specimen, and the morphology and number of bacteria present were noted. MEDIA AND CULTUREThe media and conditions of culture have been described in full previously . Swabs and purulent material were plated directly on to Columbia blood agar and MacConkey agar for aerobic culture; and on to Columbia blood agar and selective Brucella agar containing 5 % horse blood, 0 5 )ug/ml menadione, and 75 pg/ml kanamycin for anaerobic culture. Swabs and samples of pus were then inserted into Robertson's cooked meat medium and incubated for 48 hours before subculture on to Columbia blood agar and MacConkey agar aerobically and kanamycin anaerobically.

Improved microbiological diagnostic due to utilization of a high-throughput homogenizer for routine tissue processing

“…aureus, E. coli, and C. albicans were chosen to test the process of homogenization on important representatives of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria as well as on yeasts, since microbiological analyses from surgical wound and soft tissue infections, abscesses, or intraabdominal infections often reveal a polymicrobial etiology (Brook, 1989a(Brook, , 1989bBrook and Randolph, 1981;Pathare et al, 1998;Sanderson et al, 1979;Summanen et al, 1995). Inoculation doses of either 2 × 10 2 or 1.2 × 10 3 CFU were administered to achieve well countable numbers when directly streaking the inoculated tissues over the plates.…”

Gram-positive anaerobic cocci – commensals and opportunistic pathogens

“…It has been reported to have been isolated from a range of skin infections including chronic wounds (Bowler & Davies, 1999b), leg ulcers (Bowler & Davies, 1999a), nonpuerperal breast infection (Edmiston et al, 1990), burn wound infections (Mousa, 1997), acute (surgical) wounds (Sanderson et al, 1979) and diabetic foot infections (Wheat et al, 1986). It has been reported to have been isolated from a range of skin infections including chronic wounds (Bowler & Davies, 1999b), leg ulcers (Bowler & Davies, 1999a), nonpuerperal breast infection (Edmiston et al, 1990), burn wound infections (Mousa, 1997), acute (surgical) wounds (Sanderson et al, 1979) and diabetic foot infections (Wheat et al, 1986).…”

Wound Microbiology and Associated Approaches to Wound Management

“…With the exception of clean operative procedures, surgical wound infections are recognized as having a polymicrobial etiology, involving both aerobic and anaerobic microorganisms (Table 3) (2,35,36,38,64,175,212), and intra-abdominal infections normally reflect the microflora of the resected organ (34,175). Reported wound infection rates following orthopedic surgery are relatively low (2 to 6.8%) (20,61,223), and similar studies, involving a large number of generalized postoperative wound types, have reported overall infection rates of 3.4% in 5,129 operations (1), 4.7% in 62,939 operations (57), and 9.4% in 1,770 operations (238).…”