Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Clinical Microbiology logoLink to Journal of Clinical Microbiology
. 1977 Nov;6(5):494–498. doi: 10.1128/jcm.6.5.494-498.1977

Anaerobes in human biliary tracts.

D M England, J E Rosenblatt
PMCID: PMC274803  PMID: 200634

Abstract

During a 2-year period, 1,892 patients underwent biliary tract surgery at the Mayo Clinic. Both aerobic and anaerobic cultures of bile were performed in 371 of these patients. Sixty-nine percent of the cultures were positive, and 41% (117) of these grew anaerobes, although they were present in pure culture only twice. Mixed cultures most commonly contained four different organisms (three aerobes and one anaerobe). Bacteroides fragilis was the single most commonly isolated anaerobe and ranked fourth in terms of overall isolates behind Escherichia coli, group D streptococci, and Klebsiella B. fragilis accounted for 7.0% of the total group D streptococci, and Klebsiella. B. fragilis accounted for 7.0% of the total aerobic and anaerobic isolates and was present in 21% of all positive cultures. Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Clostridium perfringens ranked fifth and sixth, providing 6.5 and 5.9% of all isolates, respectively. This study demonstrates the frequent presence of anaerobes in patients with bactibilia and suggests that they be considered in the formulation of antimicrobial therapy for infections involving human biliary tracts.

Full text

PDF

Selected References

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

  1. ANDERSON R. E., PRIESTLEY J. T. Observations on the bacteriology of choledochal bile. Ann Surg. 1951 Apr;133(4):486–489. doi: 10.1097/00000658-195104000-00006. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Chaitin H. Bacteriology of calculous cholecystitis. Int Surg. 1973 Mar;58(3):169–170. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. EDLUND Y. A., MOLLSTEDT B. O., OUCHTERLONY O. Bacteriological investigation of the biliary system and liver in biliary tract disease correlated to clinical data and microstructure of the gallbladder and liver. Acta Chir Scand. 1959 May 15;116(5-6):461–476. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Engström J., Groth C. G., Lundh G., Lönnqvist B. Infectious complications after surgery for biliary calculus. The significance of bacteria in the biliary tract. Acta Chir Scand. 1972;138(4):357–361. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Fukunaga F. H. Gallbladder bacteriology, histology, and gallstones. Study of unselected cholecystectomy specimens in Honolulu. Arch Surg. 1973 Feb;106(2):169–171. doi: 10.1001/archsurg.1973.01350140033011. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Gagic N., Frey C. F., Gaines R. Acute cholecystitis. Surg Gynecol Obstet. 1975 Jun;140(6):868–874. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Gunn A. A. A surgeon's appraisal of cholecystitis. J R Coll Surg Edinb. 1975 May;20(3):180–188. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Keighley M. R., Drysdale R. B., Quoraishi A. H., Burdon D. W., Alexander-Williams J. Antibiotic treatment of biliary sepsis. Surg Clin North Am. 1975 Dec;55(6):1379–1390. doi: 10.1016/s0039-6109(16)40797-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Keighley M. R., Graham N. G. Infective cholecystitis. J R Coll Surg Edinb. 1973 Jul;18(4):213–220. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Kune G. A., Hibberd J., Morahan R. The development of biliary infection. An experimental study. Med J Aust. 1974 Mar 2;1(9):301–303. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. MacLean L. D., Goldstein M., MacDonald J. E., Demers R. Results of cholecystectomy in 1000 consecutive patients. Can J Surg. 1975 Sep;18(5):459–465. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Maddocks A. C., Hilson G. R., Taylor R. The bacteriology of the obstructed biliary tree. Ann R Coll Surg Engl. 1973 May;52(5):316–319. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Ram M. D., Gharavi M. A. Biliary infections and the chouce of antibiotics. Am J Gastroenterol. 1974 Aug;62(2):134–138. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Rosenblatt J. E. Isolation and identification of anaerobic bacteria. Hum Pathol. 1976 Mar;7(2):177–186. doi: 10.1016/s0046-8177(76)80021-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Saik R. P., Greenburg A. G., Farris J. M., Peskin G. W. Spectrum of cholangitis. Am J Surg. 1975 Aug;130(2):143–150. doi: 10.1016/0002-9610(75)90362-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Schoenfield L. J. Biliary excretion of antibiotics. N Engl J Med. 1971 May 27;284(21):1213–1214. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197105272842112. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Shimada K., Inamatsu T., Yamashiro M. Anaerobic bacteria in biliary disease in elderly patients. J Infect Dis. 1977 May;135(5):850–854. doi: 10.1093/infdis/135.5.850. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Clinical Microbiology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES