Serum antibody response to Bacteroides fragilis in women with abscesses following hysterectomy.

To determine the role of Bacteroides fragilis in the development of infectious complications following hysterectomy, serum antibody to the capsular polysaccharide was measured with a radioactive antigen-binding assay in 53 women before and several days after surgery. Patients with postoperative abscess formation had a significantly greater mean increase in antibody concentration (4.91 micrograms/ml) than those without complications (0.62 micrograms/ml), those with wound infection (1.90 micrograms/ml), those with pelvic cellulitis (0.63 micrograms/ml), and those with febrile morbidity (0.95 micrograms/ml). There were no significant differences among the latter 4 groups. The authors conclude that B fragilis may play an important role in abscess formation following hysterectomy, but is infrequently involved in other infectious complications of this procedure.