Analysis of infection in a burn ward

One hundred and seventy-two burn wound swabs obtained from 90 patients admitted to the Aljila Hospital Burn Unit, Benghazi over a 3-month period were processed to determine the microbial flora colonizing burns and their resistance patterns to selected locally available topical and systemic agents. Approximately 84.9 per cent of the swab specimens yielded growth of 11 bacterial species and Candida spp.; of these, Ps. aeruginosa, Staph. aureus and Klebsiella spp. predominated in order of prevalence, followed by Enterobacteria. Polymyxin (100 per cent sensitive), amicacin (90.9 per cent sensitive) and carbenicillin (66.7 per cent sensitive) were the most effective of 10 selected antibiotics tested against the 60 pseudomonas isolates. In studies in vitro using six topical agents, Ps. aeruginosa strains were most sensitive, in decreasing order, to mafenide acetate, silver sulphadiazine, acetic acid, silver nitrate and Eusol. Seventy-eight per cent of Staph. aureus isolates were resistant to methicillin and erythromycin and 93 per cent to tetracycline.