Microbiological study of bladder tumors, their histology and infective complications

The microbiology of bladder tumors and the infective complications of transurethral resection (TURBT) were studied prospectively in 51 patients. Patients taking antimicrobials were excluded. Those with significant preoperative bacteriuria were included in the study when results of the preoperative urine specimen were unavailable at the time of operation. Infected tumors were found in 18 percent of males and 75 percent of females. A wide range of bacteria, including anaerobes, was isolated; when streptococci or coliforms were cultured from the tumor, they were always found in significant numbers in the preoperative urine specimen. Perioperative bacteremia and postoperative complications requiring parenteral antibiotics were more common in females and in patients with significant preoperative bacteriuria. No correlation was found between tumor infection and histologic grade or stage of tumor. Patients with sterile preoperative urine and positive bacterial cultures from tumors were no more likely to have postoperative urinary tract infections than those with negative tumor cultures.