Bacteriology of wound infections in the surgical wards of a teaching hospital

Seventy nine swab specimens obtained from various categories of wounds suspected to be infected on clinical grounds were cultured for the presence of aerobic bacteria and their pattern of antibiotic sensitivity determined. The twin genera of Staphylococcus and Pseudomonas contributed equally to burn infections while Staphylococcus species were clearly predominant in surgical wound infections. Pseudomonas species were more common in ulcers which were also characterised by a higher incidence of Escherichia coli and multiple microbial infections. The isolates were generally very resistant to the test antibiotics and showed very little sensitivity to commonly used antibiotics such as compound sulphonamides, ampicillin, cotrimoxazole and tetracycline. However, in vitro sensitivity to colistin and gentamycin was considered moderate. The need for judicious choice of antibiotics in the treatment of bacterial infections is stressed.