Aspirate samples were obtained from 73 patients undergoing surgery for a Bartholin's gland abscess or cyst. Capnophilic bacteria were isolated from 22% of cases, in contrast to previous reports of sporadic isolation. The three Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates were serotype 3 or 4. The eight Haemophilus influenzae isolates could not be serotyped; six of them were biotype II but the electrophoretic band patterns of their outer membrane proteins were heterogeneous, indicating that non-serotypable strains from the same anatomical site may not be related. Four Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates and one strain of Neisseria subflava were recovered. The role of capnophilic bacteria in the pathogenesis of infections of the Bartholin's gland remains to be clarified.