Bacteriological profile and antibiotic susceptibility of bacteria isolated from diabetic foot ulcers at the National Hospital of Niamey

Objective: The objective of our work was to determine the bacteriological profile and antibiotic sensitivity of bacteria isolated from diabetic foot wounds. Methods: We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study from July 1 to December 31, 2020. During this period, all diabetic patients with wounds were sampled. The different samples were plated on appropriate media. The identification of the isolated bacterial strains as well as the study of their sensitivity to antibiotics was performed according to conventional methods. Results: A total of 689 diabetic patients were followed during this period, 58 (8.41%) had infected foot wounds. The average age was 53.6 years with a sex ratio (M/F) of 1.15. Bacteriological analyses allowed the isolation of 48 bacterial strains (10 different species) with a predominance of Staphylococcus aureus (35.42%), followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae (20.84%), Escherichia coli (12.50%), Enterobacter aerogenes (10.42%). We observed a predominance of Gram-negative bacilli (56.25%). The sensitivity tests performed on the identified bacteria showed that 100% of the enterobacteria strains were sensitive to Ertapenem and Imipenem, except for Proteus mirabilis. Four strains were tested for extended-spectrum betalactamase (ESBL) and none were producers. All Gram positive cocci isolates were sensitive to vancomycin and resistant to penicillin G. Staphylococcus aureus strains were sensitive to erythromycin (82.35%), Kanamycin (82.35%) and Oxacillin (82.35%). Conclusion: These results show that diabetic foot wound infections are becoming more frequent. It is necessary to manage them with adequate antibiotic therapy based on an antibiogram to avoid the spread of multi-resistant bacterial strains.