Evaluation of aerobic bacterial etiology and antibiotic susceptibility pattern of diabetic foot infections in Rasht, the North of Iran

Diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) are one of the most frequently occurred complications of patients with poor-controlled diabetes mellitus. Diabetic foot infection (DFI) is increasing as a common problem and more than half of DFUs will be eventually infected. Here, we aimed to evaluate aerobic bacterial etiology and antibiotic susceptibility pattern of DFIs. This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at Razi Educational and Remedial Hospital, located in the northern region of Iran. From March 2020 to March 2022, patients diagnosed with DFUs who presented to Razi Hospital were consecutively enrolled in the study. In this study samples were collected from infected areas of diabetic foot ulcers. Standard microbiological methods were used to identify the isolates. The disc diffusion method was used to determine antimicrobial susceptibility. A total of 97 patients diagnosed with DFU were included in the study. The mean age of the patients was 58.29 ± 9.97 years. Aerobic bacterial culture results revealed the following distribution of pathogens: E. coli in 41 cases (42.3%), Klebsiella spp. in 16 cases (16.5%), Pseudomonas spp. in 6 cases (6.2%), Staphylococcus aureus in 6 cases (6.2%), Micrococcus spp. in 3 cases (3.1%), Enterobacter spp. in 3 cases (3.1%). In 12 cases (12.4%), no bacterial growth was observed, and 10 samples were reported as contaminated. Antibiotic susceptibility pattern for each bacteria is presented in Table 2. The most effective antibiotic against Gram-negative bacteria were aminoglycosides. While, S. aureus isolates mostly susceptible to tested antibiotics. Also, none of the isolated S. aureus were methicillin-resistance.