Changes In Bacterial Flora Of Burn Wounds And Their Antibiotic Susceptibility Patterns At A Tertiary Hospital In Ghana

Abstract

Objective: To determine the time-related changes in burn wound bacteria and to determine the antibiotic susceptibilities of these bacteria. Methodology: The study was carried out over a 4-month period from September 2017 at the Burns Unit of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra. Wound swabs were taken weekly from burn patients on admission and each patient was followed-up for a month. The swabs were cultured, and antibiotic susceptibility testing done on isolated pathogens. Results: A total of 214 wound swabs were taken from 59 patients enrolled with an overall isolation rate of 65%. Gram negative isolates predominated each week throughout the period of monitoring. The commonest bacterial isolate was P. aeruginosa which formed 51.8% of all isolates, followed by coagulase negative staphylococci 13.7%, S. aureus 10.1% and other Gram-negative bacilli. Sixty-four percent of S. aureus were resistant to cefoxitin (MRSA), and100% resistant to penicillin. Resistance to the cephalosporins and fluroquinolones was generally high among the Gram-negative bacteria. P. aeruginosa had moderate resistance to the anti-pseudomonal antibiotics. Resistance to amikacin among the Gram-negative bacteria was low. Conclusion: Burn wounds are colonized by pathogenic bacteria, some highly antibiotic-resistant. There were no significant time-related changes in bacterial flora of burn wounds.