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. 1990 Feb;211(2):165–171. doi: 10.1097/00000658-199002000-00008

The bacteriology of gangrenous and perforated appendicitis--revisited.

R S Bennion 1, E J Baron 1, J E Thompson Jr 1, J Downes 1, P Summanen 1, D A Talan 1, S M Finegold 1
PMCID: PMC1357960  PMID: 2405791

Abstract

By using optimum sampling, transport, and culture techniques in patients with gangrenous or perforated appendicitis, we recovered than has previously been reported. Thirty patients older than 12 years with histologically documented gangrenous or perforated appendicitis had peritoneal fluid, appendiceal tissue, and abscess contents (if present) cultured. Appendiceal tissue was obtained so as to exclude the lumen. A total of 223 anaerobes and 82 aerobic or faculatative bacteria were recovered, an average of 10.2 different organisms per specimen. Twenty-one different genera and more than 40 species were encountered. Bacteroides fragilis group and Escherichia coli were isolated from almost all specimens. Within the B. fragilis group, eight species were represented. Other frequent isolates included Peptostreptococcus (80%), Pseudomonas (40% [P. aeruginosa, 23.3%, other Pseudomonas spp., 16.7%]), B. splanchnicus (40%), B. intermedius (36.7%), and Lactobacillus (36.7%). Interestingly a previously undescribed fastidious gram-negative anaerobic bacillus was isolated from nearly one half of all patients. This organism was found to have low DNA homology (by dot blot) with the known organisms most closely resembling it.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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