Bacteriological Study of Wound Infection and Antibiotic Susceptibility Pattern of the Isolates

Wound infections result in sepsis, limb loss, long hospital stays, higher costs, and are responsible for significant human mortality and morbidity worldwide. The present study was conducted to isolate and identify the causative organisms of wound infection, to determine the antibiotic susceptibility pattern of the isolates and to study the risk factors for wound infection. The study was conducted for six months in which pus specimens collected from 244 patients were processed to investigate etiological agents using standard technique. Disc susceptibility of bacterial agents were then determined. A total of 244 pus samples were collected and 147 (60.20%) samples showed growth. A total of 150 bacterial isolates were isolated; of which 118 (78.67%) were Gram positive and 32 (21.33%) were Gram negative bacteria. Staphylococcus aureus (72.00%) was most common followed by Escherichia coli (6.67%), Citrobacter freundii (5.34%), Staphylococcus epidermidis (4.00%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (3.33%), Proteus mirabilis (2.00%), Enterococcus faecalis (1.33%), Acinetobacter spp. (1.33%), Klebsiella oxytoca (1.33%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (1.33%), Streptococcus pneumoniae (0.67%) and Streptococcus pyogenes (0.67%). The most effective antibiotic for Gram positive isolates was Gentamicin (77.97%). For Gram negative isolates (except Ps. aeruginosa ), Amikacin (74.07%), for Ps. aeruginosa , Amikacin, Ciprofloxacin, Gentamicin and Ofloxacin each with the susceptibility of 80.00% and for Staph. aureus , Cloxacillin (79.63%) were the most effective antibiotics. Hence, the most common isolate in wound infection was Staph. aureus followed by E. coli . Therefore, routine microbiological analysis of the wound specimens and their antibiotic susceptibility testing is recommended that will guide clinician for treatment of wound infection. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/njst.v14i2.10428 ？ Nepal Journal of Science and Technology Vol. 14, No. 2 (2013) 143-150