Beta-haemolytic streptococci in acute appendicitis. An ominous finding?

The significance of beta-haemolytic streptococci (BHS) in appendicitis was retrospectively studied. In one year 283 patients were operated on for appendicitis (perforated in 75 cases, gangrenous in 40). Peritoneal swab cultures were obtained in 93 cases. BHS was isolated from only six patients, four of whom had severe septic complications. Of the total patients, only five had such complications. The study indicated that isolation of BHS in appendicitis has ominous implications that call for vigilance against septic complications.