Bacteriology of parapneumonic pleural effusions in an Indian hospital

In addition to adequate drainage, successful management of complicated pleural effusions and empyema also requires prompt and aggressive treatment with appropriate antibiotics, for which knowledge of the causative organisms involved is essential. In this study (January 2001 to December 2004), the bacteriological profile of patients with pleural effusion/empyema admitted to our hospital was analysed. A total of 2906 pleural fluid samples were received, of which 459 (15.8%) samples were culture positive. The number of Gram-negative and Gram-positive organisms isolated was 412 (86.4%) and 65 (13.6%), respectively. The most frequent Gram-negative organisms were Acinetobacter spp. (27.7%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (23.9%) and Klebsiella spp. (12.6%). Staphylococcus aureus (9.6%) was the most frequent Gram-positive organism. Most of the pathogens showed resistance to multiple antibiotic agents.