Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2014 May 2:18:6.
doi: 10.11604/pamj.2014.18.6.2304. eCollection 2014.

Risk factors for wound infection in health care facilities in Buea, Cameroon: aerobic bacterial pathogens and antibiogram of isolates

Akoachere Jane-Francis Tatah Kihla  1 , Palle John Ngunde  2 , Mbianda Soupsop Evelyn  3 , Nkwelang Gerard  3 , Roland Ndip Ndip  4
Affiliations

Risk factors for wound infection in health care facilities in Buea, Cameroon: aerobic bacterial pathogens and antibiogram of isolates

Akoachere Jane-Francis Tatah Kihla et al. Pan Afr Med J. .

Abstract

Introduction: Wound infection is a significant clinical challenge in hospitals in developing countries where proper healthcare delivery is hampered by limited resources. This study investigated the antibiotic susceptibility pattern of bacteria causing wound infection and risk factors for infection among hospitalized patients in Buea, Cameroon, to generate findings which could drive reformation of policies on infection control.

Methods: Aerobic bacteria were isolated from 212 swabs collected from patients with clinically diagnosed infected wounds. Risk factors for wound infection were investigated. Antibiotic susceptibility of isolates was determined by disk diffusion technique. The Chi-square test was employed to determine significant differences in isolation and distribution of organisms in various specimens. Differences were considered significant at P<0.05.

Results: Twelve bacteria species were isolated from 169 (79.7%) specimens. Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae, the predominant isolates in all wound types exhibited a high preponderance of multidrug resistant strains. High rate of infection was attributed to lack of constant water supply and breakdown of sterilization equipment during the study period. Highest diversity of pathogens occurred in open wounds. There were no significant differences (P>0.05) in isolation of pathogens with respect to age, gender and wound type. Co-existing morbidity increased risk of wound infection. Isolates were susceptible to fluoroquinolones and resistant to oxacillin.

Conclusion: Wound infection with resistant bacteria constitutes a significant cause of morbidity in the study area. Findings reiterate the need to strengthen infection control and drug dispensing policies, and greater collaboration between microbiologists and medical practioners to stem the spread of resistant bacteria.

Keywords: Cameroon; Wound infection; antibiotic susceptibility; bacterial pathogens; co-morbidity.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Distribution of bacteria in different wound types with respect to age group
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. De Macedo JLS, Santos JB. Bacterial and fungal colonization of burn wounds. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz. 2005;100(5):535–539. - PubMed
    1. Nichols RE. Preventing surgical site infections: a surgeon ‘s perspective. Emerg Infect Dis. 2001;7(2):220–224. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Sorensen LT, Hemmingsen U, Kallehave F, Wille-Jorgensen P, Kjaergaard J, Moller NL, Jorgensen T. Risk factors for tissue and wound complications in gastrointestinal surgery. Ann Surg. 2005;241(4):654–658. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bowler PG, Duerden BI, Armstrong DC. Wound microbiology and associated approaches to wound management. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2001;14(2):144–69. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Thanni LOA, Olubunmi AO, Deji-Agboola A. Prevalence of bacterial pathogens in infected wounds in a tertiary hospital, 1995-2001: any change in trend. J Natl Med Assoc. 2003;95(12):1189–119. - PMC - PubMed

MeSH terms

Substances