Demonstration of pathogenic bacteria in "sterile" inflammatory exudates.

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Exudates (127) from inflammatory processes [human], judged sterile after incubation on standard isolation media, were further investigated. This involved the exclusion of slow-growing strains by a further 48 h incubation of the primary plates and subcultures from hypertonic broth that had been inoculated concurrently with the initial cultures. Over 80% of otherwise sterile exudates grew presumptive pathogens only after passage through the hypertonic broth no further isolations resulted from extended incubation of the primary cultures. A history of current or recent antibiotic therapy commonly accompanied the demonstration of these aberrant strains; clinical remission of symptoms usually followed fresh antibiotic therapy directed solely against the revertant isolates.