Bacteriological pattern of wound swab isolates in patients with chronic leg ulcer

PURPOSE: To determine the pattern of bacterial pathogens and their antibiotic sensitivity profile in patients with infected chronic leg ulceration. METHODS: Sixty swab specimens obtained from chronic leg ulcer (CLU) patients were cultured aerobically and the antibiotic sensitivity pattern of the recovered organisms determined by the modified Kirby- Bauer disc-diffusion method. RESULTS: 47 (78.3%) of the ulcers were infected out of which 39 (83.0%) were culture positive. Most of the culture positive ulcers were on the distal third of the leg. The isolated bacteria from the wounds were Pseudomonas aeruginosa (33%), Staphylococcus aureus (24%), Proteus spp (15%), Klebsiella spp (13%), Citrobacter spp (13%) and Escherichia coli (2%). None of the patient without clinical evidence of wound infection had bacterial positive wound swab culture. All isolates were sensitive to third generation cephalosporin and floroquinolones but majority were resistant to ampicillin. CONCLUSION: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus. Proteus spp, Klebsiella spp, Citrobacter spp and Escherichia coli sensitive to third generation cephalosporin and floroquinolones have been recovered from 78% of patients with chronic leg ulcers in a tertiary health facility in Nigeria. Keywords: Bacteriology; Chronic leg ulcer; Wound swab