The prevalence of anaerobic bacteria in suprapubic bladder aspirates obtained from pregnant women.

The incidence of asymptomatic bacteriuria due to aerobic, facultative anaerobic and strictly anaerobic bacteria during pregnancy was determined in 185 patients admitted for complications of pregnancy, using suprapubic bladder aspiration. Anaerobic bacterial counts of 103 per ml urine or higher were detected in 6.4 per cent of the specimens. The incidence of anaerobic bacteriuria seems comparable to that of bacteriuria due to aerobic and facultative anaerobic micro organisms. In our group of patients the incidence of the latter was 5.4%. The presence of anaerobic bacteria was not confined to the occurrence of a particular species. Peptostreptococcus species, Veillonella species, Bacteroides species, Eubacterium species, Clostridium species and Bifidobacterium species were isolated from specimens in concentrations of more than 103 per ml. Consequences of asymptomatic bacteriuria during pregnancy are totally uncertain. Further investigation is necessary to obtain insight into the effect of bacteriuria due to anaerobes upon the outcome of pregnancy.