Comparison of microbial flora between hospital- acquired and community- acquired wound infections

Wound infection is one of the important causes of morbidity and mortality among patients. This study is planned with the objective to determine and compare the frequency of different bacterial pathogens in hospital acquired wound infections and community acquired wound infections. The study has been performed in surgery department of Ayub Teaching Hospital Abbottabad in 2012. All the fresh cases presented with superficial soft tissue infections (SSTIs) in the surgical outpatient departments were included in the study as community- acquired infections. The cases that developed SSTIs 48 hours or more after admission in the hospital were considered as hospital –acquired SSTIs. After thorough history and clinical examination pus swabs/pus specimens were collected from the patients and were sent for culture. One hundred consecutive pus swabs/aspirates were taken from outdoor patients and other 100 specimens were obtained from admitted patients in different surgical units. Out of 100 patients with hospital acquired infections, 86 were male whereas out of 100 patients with community acquired wound infection, 67 were male. MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) was the most common organism in both groups. Both community and hospital Acquired wound infections are more common in male. Elderly age groups of patients were more affected from hospital acquired wound infections.