Bacteriology of bile in obstructive jaundice.

Bile from 25 patients with obstructive jaundice was cultured for both aerobic and anaerobic organisms. Twenty one samples were positive for culture. Mixed bacterial growth was seen in 5 (20%) of the bile samples 25 aerobes and one anaerobic were isolated. Escherichia coli was the commonest aerobic isolate and Bacteroides fragilis was the single anaerobe isolated. Majority of the aerobes isolated were sensitive to gentamycin.