Bacterial Profile, Antimicrobial Susceptibility Pattern, and Associated Risk Factors Among Patients With Wound Infections at Debre Markos Referral Hospital, Northwest, Ethiopia

Wound infections are associated with morbidity and mortality in developing countries. Thus, this study aimed to assess bacterial profile, antimicrobial susceptibility pattern and risk factors among wound infection suspected patients. A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 201 participants at Debre Markos referral hospital from January to May 2019. Sociodemographic data were collected using pre-designed questionnaire and swabs from different types of wounds were collected, and inoculated onto mannitol salt agar, blood and MacConkey agar plate for isolation and identification. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests were done using modified Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion technique. Out of 201 swabs analyzed, 72.6% were culture positive and 10.9% of them had co-infections, and 162 bacterial isolates obtained from 146 swab samples. Staphylococcus aureus was the most frequently isolated which accounted for 32.1% of isolates followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 15.4%. The susceptibility patterns of ciprofloxacin, gentamycin and ceftriaxone were 77.8%, 69.1%, and 68.5%, respectively. The MDR rate of gram positive and gram negative isolates were 69.7% and 82.3%, respectively. Anatomically located wounds near a site of potential contamination, inadequate management of moisture, exudate or edema, mechanism of wound production, presence of predisposing condition and being urban in residence significantly associated with wound infections. S. aureus and P. aeruginosa were the predominant causes of wound infections. Ciprofloxacin, gentamycin and ceftriaxone were the most effective antimicrobials. Periodic surveillance of isolates involved in wound infection and their antimicrobial susceptibility is recommended for effective management of patients.