Bacteriological and antimicrobial susceptibility profile of soft tissue infections from Northern India

Soft tissue infections require a judicious combination of antimicrobial therapy in addition to surgical debridement to limit tissue loss and preserve life.

To study the bacterial etiology of soft tissue infections and their antimicrobial susceptibility pattern.

A single institutional retrospective study of one year duration from January to December 2002.

A total of 5039 consecutive pus samples received in the Bacteriology Laboratory was analyzed from the records.

There were a total of 2783 bacterial isolates comprising of 1504 gram negative bacilli and 1279 gram positive cocci. Staphylococcus aureus was the commonest isolate followed by Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas species. Methicillin resistance in S. aureus was found to be 38.56%, high level aminoglycoside resistance was observed in 53.3% enterococci and 66.75% of the gram negative bacilli were extended spectrum beta-lactamase producers. Rifampicin and vancomycin showed best activity for S. aureus; for gram-negative bacilli, piperacillin-tazobactam combination showed best activity.

Continuous monitoring of antimicrobial susceptibility pattern in individual settings together with their judicious use is emphasized to minimize emergence of drug resistant bacteria.