Question

The commonest organism responsible for Bartholin abscess is

• A. Treponema pallidum
• B. Trichomonas vaginalis
• C. Neisseria gonorrhoeae
• D. Lymphogranuloma venereum

Hint:

Think of the organism most linked to STIs affecting the vulvovaginal glands.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

A Bartholin abscess forms when the duct of the Bartholin gland, tucked in the back part of the labium majus, gets blocked and the trapped fluid becomes infected. The question wants the germ most often behind that infection.

1. Treponema pallidum: this bacterium causes syphilis, seen as a painless ulcer on the genitals, not a swollen infected gland.
2. Trichomonas vaginalis: a protozoan parasite that gives a frothy discharge and vaginal itching, unrelated to gland abscesses.
3. Neisseria gonorrhoeae: this gonococcus is well known to infect the Bartholin duct and gland, and it is the organism most often quoted as the cause of Bartholin abscess.
4. Lymphogranuloma venereum: caused by certain strains of Chlamydia trachomatis, it produces tender groin lymph nodes, not a Bartholin gland abscess.

Since the gonococcus is the organism most closely tied to Bartholin duct infection in standard teaching, it is accepted as the commonest cause of Bartholin abscess.

Let's summarize:

• Bartholin abscess is treated like a sexually transmitted infection because of where the gland sits.
• Neisseria gonorrhoeae is the classic organism linked to it, ahead of syphilis, trichomoniasis, or LGV.

So the answer is Neisseria gonorrhoeae.