BACTERIOLOGICAL PROFILE OF POST OPERATIVE WOUND INFECTIONS AND THEIR ANTIMICROBIAL SUSCEPTIBILITY PATTERN IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL

Introduction - Post operative wound infection is an important cause of morbidity and cost burden for the patients. Surveillance of these data is an important foundation of effective infection control programs. Aim - To detect the bacterial profile and evaluate their antimicrobial sensitivity pattern in postoperative wound infections and to determine MRSA among the Staphylococcus aureus isolates. Materials and Methods - A total number of 136 isolates were obtained from 170 wound swabs which were collected from clinically suspected postoperative wound infection patients. The isolates were cultured and identified by their colony morphology in Blood agar, MacConkey agar Nutrient agar and speciated by their standard biochemical reactions. All the isolates were tested for antimicrobial sensitivity by Kirby Bauer disc diffusion method according to the CLSI guidelines on Mueller Hinton Agar. The screening and confirmation of MRSA production was done by OxacillinCefoxitin disc diffusion method among the S.aureus isolates. Results - Staphylococcus aureus (50.7percent) was the predominant pathogen from post operative wounds followed by Klebsiella spp (19.2percent), Escherichia coli (12.5percent), Proteus spp (8.1percent), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (6.6percent) and CONS (2.9percent). Out of 69 Staphylococcus aureus isolates 32 (46.4percent) were detected as MRSA. The drugs highly effective for GPC were Vancomycin (100percent) and Gentamicin (73.9percent). The drugs highly effective for GNB were Piperacillin Tazobactum (100percent) and Meropenem (100percent). Conclusion - This study concludes that Staphylococcus aureus is the most common pathogen in post operative wound infections with increasing tendency towards MRSA. Since the S.aureus constitutes the common skin and nasal flora, stringent monitoring of aseptic surgical and health care procedures, pathogen surveillance and effective anti microbial sensitivity screening are essential to avoid the poor outcome of surgical treatment. By adhering to the strict infection control measures and rational antibiotic policies, we can prevent the emergence and dissemination of MRSA in our community.