Urethral and prostatic colonization and infection in patients undergoing prostatectomy.

We conducted a prospective trial to identify organisms colonizing the urethra and prostate and their role in the aetiology of infection after prostatectomy. Twenty-five patients were studied of whom six developed postoperative infection. The causative organisms were previously recovered from the urethra but not the prostate. There was a high rate of urethral colonization by streptococci (14/25) and a low incidence of prostatic colonization. We describe a novel method of sampling the prostate.