Soft tissue infection in children in south Trinidad

A review of 391 children in the first decade of life admitted to a surgical ward with soft tissue infections revealed predisposing factors in 38.4% of cases, mainly trauma and adjacent skin sepsis. Superficial abscess formation occurred in 90% of cases, muscle abscesses in 9.5%, and necrotizing fasciitis in less than 1%. The most frequent organism isolated was the staphylococcus aureus which was found in 52.8% of the available cultures. Coliform organisms were found in 14.6%, and haemolytic streptococci in just over 10%. A study of the culture and sensitivity profiles obtained made it possible to formulate a programme for the empirical treatment of soft tissue infections based on the region of the body involved.