Bacteriological profile of paediatric skin and soft tissue infections and their antibiogram at a tertiary care teaching hospital in north India

Abstract

The increasing complexity of wound care in pediatric patients along with delay in the initiation of treatment predisposes these patients to many complications such as pressure ulcers, non-healing surgical wounds and skin damage. A retrospective study was conducted over a period of five years to gain insight into the etiology of pediatric wound infection. A total of 2819 wound culture positive cases were included. Most samples were from the burn ward (30.15%) followed by the general surgery ward (20.46%). Overall, the most common isolate was Staphylococcus aureus (39.73%) followed by Pseudomonas spp (19.12%). The prevalence of MRSA (Methicillin resistant S. aureus), CRE (Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae), CRP (Carbapenem resistant Pseudomonas), CRAB (Carbapenem resistant Acinetobacter baumannii) was 47.3%, 62.5%, 70.5%, 96.4%, respectively. The high degree of resistance in children highlights the importance of regular surveillance for identification of common pathogens and optimization of antimicrobial treatment for multidrug resistant organisms.