Secondary bacterial infection in Ghanaian patients with scabies

From 110 patients with secondarily infected scabies lesions, 105 bacteria consisting of 66 aerobes and 39 anaerobes were isolated. A mixture of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria was present in 15 (13.6%). The predominant aerobic and anaerobic bacteria were staphylococcous aureus 39.1% and pepostreptococcus spp. 14.2% respectively. Organisms that resided in the mucus membranes close to or in contact with the lesions predominated in those infections. Most organisms were recovered from the finger and buttock lesions. These organisms were mainly staph. aureus, beta-haemolytic streptococci group. A and peptostreptococcus. More than 80% of staph. aureus isolated were resistant to penicillin. Less than 20% of the anaerobes were resistant to penicillin. The enteric Gram-negative, E. coli and Klebsiella spp. showed 100% sensitivity to Amoxycilin/clavulanic acid and gentamicin. Pseudomonas spp. were only susceptible to gentamicin, Amoxycillin/clavulanic acid proved to be the most active therapeutic agent in in vitro against the isolated microorganisms.