Isolation of Bacteroides ureolyticus from the genital tract of men with and without non-gonococcal urethritis.

Urethral specimens from 247 heterosexual men--118 patients with non-gonococcal urethritis and 129 controls with no evidence of urethritis--were examined for the presence of Bacteroides ureolyticus. Bacteroides ureolyticus was isolated from 45 (34.9%) of the controls and from 31 (26.3%) of the urethritis patients; there was no significant difference between these rates (p = 0.1). There was no association between the density of Bacteroides ureolyticus on primary isolation plates in either group.