Organisms causing pyoderma and their susceptibility patterns

Abstract

Five hundred and seventy cases of pyoderma were studied clinically and bacteriologically. Of these, 58.8% cases were of primary pyoderma, and the rest were secondary pyoderma. Primary pyoderma consituted impetigo contagiosa (21.4%), bullous impetigo (3.3%), ecthyma (4.4%), superficial folliculitis (12.3%), chronic folliculitis of legs (8.8%); forunculosis (3.7%) carbuncle (1.8%), folliculitis decalvans (0.4%), sycosis barbae (0.4%) and abscess (2.5%). Secondary pyderma cases were infected scabies (23.9%), infected wound (1.1%), infectious eczematoid dermatitis (12.6%), intertrigo (0.4%) and miscellaneous (3.3%). In 85 samples, no organism was isolated. Out of 485 samples, 75.9% grew a single organism and the rest (24.1%) gave multiple organisms. Among the 603 strains collected, 73.6% were staphylococcus aureus, 25.0% were beta-haemolytic streptococcus and 0.7% each were alpha-haemolytic streptococcus and Gram negative bacilli. Eighty eight per cent strains of Staphylococcus aureous were susceptible to cephaloridine and 27.4% to ampicillin while 97.4% beta haemolytic streptococcus were susceptible to cephaloridine and 23.2% to pencillin.