Common pathogens in burn wound and changes in their drug sensitivity

Abstract

Infection is an important cause of mortality in patients with burns. Rapid emergence of hospital pathogens and antibiotic-resistant organisms necessitate periodic evaluation of bacterial colonisation patterns and antibiogram sensitivity in burn wards. In this study, which was conducted in a 3 months' period in 2009, 106 samples from the wounds of 59 patients admitted in a burn ward were taken, one in the 1st and one between the 3rd and the 7th days. Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter and Klebsiella were the most common Gram-negative and Staphylococcus aureus was the most common Gram-positive organisms recovered from the patients. This study showed a high rate of resistance to the administered antibiotics. The prevalent Gram-negative organisms in our ward were resistant to ceftazidime and imipenem in nearly 90% and 20% of cases, respectively.