Bacteriological examination was made of the bronchial washing in 126 cases of pulmonary tuberculosis, in 31 of lung cancer, 13 of pulmonary suppuration, and in 12 of bronchiectasis from 1965 to 1968, and following results were obtained.
Detectability of bacteria varied from 81% to 85% in these diseases without notable difference. In the cases of pulmonary tuberculosis, aerobic, anerobic bacteria, and the both bacteria were found in 44.4%, 31.0%, and 5.6% of the cases, respectively. In the cases of lung cancer, they were found in 64.5, % 12.9%, and 6.5% of the cases, respectively. Higher detectability of anaerobic bacteria was found in the cases of pulmonary tuberculosis than in the cases of lung cancer. In the cases of pulmonary suppuration, they were found in 46.2%, 30.8% and 7.7% of the cases, respectively. In the cases of bronchiectasis, they were found in 58.3%, 8.3% and 16.7% of the cases, respectively.
The results in the cases of pulmonary suppuration resembled that in the cases of pulmonary tuberculosis, however, in the cases of bronchiectasis anerobic bacteria were detected infrequently. In the cases of pulmonary tuberculosis, the normal flora such as alpha-streptococcus and neisseria were frequently detected. The gram-negative bacilli occupied 39.5% of the aerobic bacteria and among the anaerobic bacteria peptococcus was most frequently found. Anaerobic corynebacterium, frequently detected in the resected specimens, was found as few as 6 strains. In the cases of lung cancer, the gram-negative bacilli occupied 21.7% of the aerobic bacteria, and a great variety of strains was found among the both aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. And also a great variety of strains was found in the cases of pulmonary suppuration and in the cases of bronchiectasis, in spite of small numbers of the examined cases. The same strains were found in the bronchial washing and in the sputum at the rate of 46.9%, including partial coexistence.
