WORLD JOURNAL OF ADVANCE
HEALTHCARE RESEARCH

Mahmood Nazar Mustafa*

ABSTRACT

Background: Cholelithiasis is a very common surgical problem that is often accompanied by chronic inflammation of the gallbladder and may be complicated by bacterial colonization. It is not fully understood how much infection is involved in the development of gallstones. Objectives: Identification of bacterial infection and its characterization in the gall bladder of gall stone patients; to find the spectrum of the pathogens in both microbiological and histopathological approach. Materials and Methods: A cross sectional observational study was done on 100 patients who underwent elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy during the period from 1st September 2025 to 1st March 2026 in Medical City Hospital, Baghdad, Iraq. Gall bladder samples were taken intraoperatively and cultured at various sites in the laboratory, and histopathology was performed by hematoxylin and eosin staining. Results: The female-to-male ratio was 5.0:1, with a mean age of 56.8 ± 1.4 years. Bacterial cultures were positive for 88/100 patients (88%) and negative (no growth) in 12/100 (12%). The most common organism found was Escherichia coli (34.1%), followed by Enterobacter aerogenes. The overall incidence of histopathological abnormalities was significantly higher in the gallbladders containing calculi (95%) than in those without calculi (P < 0.05). Histological lesions that were most frequently observed were Rokitansky–Aschoff sinuses. Conclusions: E. coli is a common bacteria that is highly prevalent in patients with cholelithiasis and can play a role in the disease pathogenesis. Findings endorse the probable necessity of multi-spectrum antimicrobial approaches in certain situations. Advanced molecular techniques should be used in future studies to further clarify the involvement of bacteria in gallstone formation.

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