This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Bollgren, I Articles by Winberg, J Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Bollgren, I Articles by Winberg, J

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

J Clin Microbiol. 1979 October; 10(4): 419-424

Periurethral anaerobic microflora of healthy girls.

ABSTRACT

The periurethral anaerobic and aerobic microfloras were investigated in 18 healthy premenarcheal girls, 5 to 14 years of age, by using a quantitative sampling method. Colonization of the female periurethral area with enterobacteria seems to be an important step in the development of urinary tract infections, and the present study was undertaken as a stage in elucidating factors that might control the establishment of urinary tract pathogens periurethrally. The study showed that obligate anaerobic bacteria constituted 95.0% (standard error, +/- 5.8%) of the total colony-forming units per square centimeter of periurethral area. An average of 7.0 different anaerobic and 2.7 different aerobic strains per specimen was obtained. The flora was dominated by anaerobic gram-positive cocci and gram-positive rods, whereas anaerobic gram-negative rods comprised a minor part. The most commonly encountered anaerobic isolates were peptococci and peptostreptococci, propionibacteria, bifidobacteria, eubacteria, and bacteroides in decreasing order of frequency. The aerobic flora consisted most commonly of nonhemolytic streptococci and diphtheroids. The findings suggest that the periurethral microenvironment is a distinctive ecological niche, separate from the fecal and skin biotas, although it has some characteristics in common with the vaginal flora.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Thilesen, C. M., Nicolaidis, M., Lokebo, J. E., Falsen, E., Jorde, A. T., Muller, F. (2007). Leptotrichia amnionii, an Emerging Pathogen of the Female Urogenital Tract. J. Clin. Microbiol. 45: 2344-2347 [Abstract] [Full Text]