Abstract Objective: To study prevalence of appendicitis, the bacterial colonization of inflamed appendices and
the associated post operative wound infection.
Design: A prospective study in a twenty-four month period. Histopathological and bacteriological studies of
excised appendices, and bacteriological cultures from post operative wounds were carried out.
Setting: Department of Pathology. Division of Microbiology and Department of Surgery, Salminiya Medical
Centre. Bahrain.
Subjects: Five hundred and thirty-three patients operated upon for acute appendicitis, of whom 192 patients were
studied for bacterial colonization.
Results: Most cases (96%) occurred in patients below 40 years of age. Histopathologically (12%) had perforated
appendices. A hundred and two patients (53%) had sterile cultures; with perforated appendices having the highest
rate (90%) followed by gangrenous (56%) and acutely inflamed appendices (37%) Escherichia coli was the
predominant organism isolated (48%) while Recteroids spp accounted for only (7.7%). The post operative
infection rate was (6,*%). Escherichia coil and Bacteroides spp were the predominant isolates. Members of
Enterobacteriaceae constitutes 75% of isolates.
Conclusion: Incidence of acute appendicitis is relatively high in Bahrain. Bacterial role in the aetiology is
suspected especially by Escherichia coli; its precise role in acute appendicitis warrants further investigations. |
