Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 23, 2026
Author Spotlight: Studying Host-Microbe Interactions in Wound Biofilm Formation
Published on: June 16, 2023
[Microbiology of pressure and vascular ulcer infections]
Jorge Ortiz Balbuena1, Rodrigo García Madero1, Teresa Segovia Gómez2
1Servicio de Medicina Interna, Hospital Universitario Puerta de Hierro, Majadahonda, Madrid, España.
Introduction:
Pressure ulcer (PU) infection is a significant clinical problem in many elderly patients.
Material And Methods:
To determine the microbiology of PU and vascular ulcer (VU) infections by conducting a cross-sectional study of outpatients treated in a chronic wounds unit over an 18 month period.
Results:
Sixty six patients with PU infection and 159 patients with an infected VU were identified. The PUs were located below the knee in 36 patients (52%). Patients with pressure ulcers had a higher proportion of institutionalization, cognitive impairment, inability to walk, and sphincter incontinence. There was a greater number of infections caused by Enterobacteriaceae (52%, P=.002) and fewer S. aureus infections (24%, P<.001) in patients with a PU compared to those with those with a VU. Forty-one percent of S. aureus strains isolated in all the patients were resistant to methicillin (MRSA). The proportion of Enterobacteriaceae infections was similar in patients with infection of pelvic girdle PU and in those located below the knee.
Conclusions:
PU patients suffer a higher rate of infection by enterobacteria. The most common pathogen in UV infections is S. aureus. The proportion of MRSA infection in patients with chronic wounds is high. The microbiology of the infection in the pelvic girdle PU is similar to those located below the knee.
Related Concept Videos
01:31Diabetic Foot Ulcer
01:23Skin Diseases and Disorders
Gram-positive Staphylococcus spp. and Streptococcus spp. are responsible for many of the most common skin infections. However, many...
01:27Peptic Ulcer
01:30Peptic Ulcer Disease I: Introduction
An acute ulcer, marked by superficial erosion and minimal inflammation, swiftly resolves upon identifying and addressing the underlying cause. In contrast, a chronic ulcer persists, potentially eroding through the muscular wall and forming fibrous tissue.
Peptic ulcers can also be...
01:25Peptic Ulcer Disease I: Introduction
01:22Pathophysiology of Peptic Ulcer Disease: Injurious Factors
In the antrum region, G cells secrete the gastrin hormone that binds to gastrin-cholecystokinin-B (CCK2) receptors on parietal and enterochromaffin-like (ECL) cells in the fundic glands. Simultaneously, the vagus nerve releases acetylcholine, which binds...