Publication

Abstract : Diabetic foot ulcer is an important complication among diabetic patients and is a significant risk factor for lower extremity amputation. Knowledge of microbes that cause infections will be helpful to determine proper empirical antibiotic therapy. Thus, this retrospective study was undertaken in 150 diabetic patients with foot ulcers who were admitted in the Department of Endocrinology. Patient data relevant to the study was collected using a standard data collection form. Details of organisms isolated and susceptibility pattern were collected from microbiology department. A total of 273 pathogens were identified from 150 patients with an average of 1.8 organisms per patient. Among 150 cases, 65 (43.3%) had monomicrobial infection and 85 (56.7%) had polymicrobial infection. Both gram positive and gram negative organisms caused diabetic foot infections and this study showed a preponderance of gram negative organisms. Among the 273 pathogens, 150 (54.9%) were gram negative bacteria, 104 (38.1%) were gram positive bacteria and 19 (7.0%) were fungi. Enterococcus faecalis and Escherichia coli (12.1% each) were the most common pathogens isolated. Vancomycin, teicoplanin, tigecycline and linezolid were found to be the highly effective against gram positive organisms, whereas amikacin and colistin were most effective against gram negative organisms. The high prevalence of polymicrobial infection highlights the need for combined antimicrobial therapy for initial management. Effective planning of therapy is very essential for preventing the emergence of drug resistant organisms. © 2016, Global Research Online. All rights reserved.