Urinary bacterial flora of women with urethral syndrome and interstitial cystitis

The anaerobic bacterial flora in the first voided and in the midstream urin e of healthy females (n = 5) and female patients with either urethral syndr ome (US) (n = 5) or interstitial cystitis (IC) (n = 14) were studied. Bacte ria were grown on media enabling isolation of fastidious and aerobic as wel l as obligatory anaerobic species. In healthy females only gram-positive ro ds were found whereas US patients also harbored streptococci, Patients with IC presented also with Enterobacteriae and anaerobic bacteria, Five IC pat ients with severe symptoms were treated with metronidazole; 2 out of 3 pati ents with anaerobic bacteria in the pretreatment specimens had no anaerobes after metronidazole therapy and in 1 patient streptococci disappeared afte r the therapy, One patient with severe symptoms and Bacteroides fragilis in the midstream urine became symptom-free after 2 weeks of metronidazole tre atment. Although there is uncertainty whether the US and IC are not related to an infectious etiology, the bacterial flora in urethral and in midstrea m urine in these conditions differs considerably from that of healthy femal es.