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Forty-seven patients were investigated for early or late postoperative infections of orthopaedic implants and/or bone. A total of 88 isolates were recovered [64 aerobes and 24 anaerobes]. Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus epidermidis were the most common causative agents. Anaerobic bacteria were isolated from 16 [34%] patients; 50% of patients with late-onset infection and 10.5% with early-onset infection. In 6 [12.8%] patients, infection was with anaerobic organisms alone. All these patients had retained an extramedullary internal fixation device. Anaerobic microorganisms appear to play a significant role in the pathogenesis of late-onset postoperative infection, especially where there is an extramedullary internal fixation device.