Bacteriological study of infected diabtic foot

Infection of the diabetic foot is a common and potentially disastrous complication that can progress rapidly to irreversible septic gangrene necessitating amputation of the foot. The specific organisms found in diabetic foot infections differ not only from patient to patient and hospital to hospital, but also from one part of the country to another. Periodic antibiotic resistance surveys are important especially in developing countries where automedication with antimicrobial agents is a common practice.In view of the above, a bacteriological study was carried out aiming at isolation and identification of the most common causative organisms of diabetic foot infections, then determination of their susceptibility to different commonly used antibiotics.A total of 96 diabetic patients with foot infection were investigated. Exudate samples were taken from the ulcers by swabs and transported in Amies transport medium, and pus aspirates were taken in syringe and kept closed. Gram stained smears of the specimens were examined. The specimens were cultured on blood agar and incubated aerobically at 37ºC in CO2 enriched atmosphere for 24 hours to isolate staphylococci and streptococci, on MacConkey agar and incubated aerobically for 24 hours to isolate Gram negative bacilli, on neomycin blood agar for isolation of anaerobes and incubated for 48 hours in anaerobic jar and on thioglycollate broth for enrichment of existing aerobes and anaerobes.