Aerobic and anaerobic Surgical wound contamination in patients with cancer

Earlier publications have contained retrospective analyses of the incidence of postoperative anaerobic and aerobic infections. These were found to be the result of mucosal damage from traumas, tumors, and operation. Another report includes anaerobic infections in patients with cancer found to have conditions compromising their normal defenses. Improved anaerobic culture methods have increased the recovery of obligate anaerobic micro organisms from infectious sites. This study prospectively used some of these improved methods of obtaining and culturing specimens taken from patients with cancer at operation to determine the incidence and cause of resulting infections.