Frequency and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of bacterial agents isolated from wound infections of inpatients at a university hospital in Tehran

Wound infections, as a common nosocomial infection, are contributing factors to mortality. Determining the prevalence of common pathogens causing wound infections and their antibiotic susceptibility patterns plays a key role in the rapid treatment and prevention of such infections. This study aimed to analyze wound infections in hospitalized patients in a university hospital in Tehran and determine the antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of the isolated bacteria.

Data about 563 hospitalized patients from different wards of a university hospital, who had participated in the study from March 2017 to June 2019, were collected, and sample collection from the wounds was carried out. For the identification of pathogens, we used standard bacteriological techniques. The disk diffusion method was used to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of the isolates. Data were analyzed using SPSS 18.

Among five hundred and sixty-three samples, 382 (67.7%) had positive cultures. The most common isolated pathogens were Staphylococcus aureus (19.2%), Escherichia coli (17.7%), Acinetobacter spp. (14%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (13.6%) and Klebsiella spp. (12.9%). Fifty percent of the Staphylococcus aureus isolates were resistant to cefoxitin. Escherichia coli and Acinetobacter spp. were resistant to most of the antibiotics.

Our study found that pathogens causing wound infections were highly resistant to commonly prescribed antibiotics. Identifying the etiological agents of wound infection and their antibiotic susceptibility patterns is essential, especially for the treatment of elderly patients and those hospitalized in intensive care. This can assist in designing a therapeutic strategy for these types of infections.