Microbial Diversity and Antibiotic Resistance Patterns in Burn and Wound Infections: A Study from the Al-Kindy Teaching Hospital, Iraq

Objective: Comprehending microbial diversity and antibiotic resistance patterns is essential for efficient treatment protocols. This study sought to determine the incidence of bacterial and fungal pathogens responsible for burn and wound infections and their antibiotic susceptibility profiles. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 140 patients with burn or wound infections. Sterile swabs and pus aspiration were employed to collect samples, which were subsequently processed using standard microbiological procedures. Antibiotic resistance was determined using the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method, following Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines. Data was analysed using IBM SPSS version 25.0, and the Chi-square test was used to evaluate resistance patterns (p < 0.05). Results: Seventy-five (53.6%) participants were male, while 65 (46.4%) were female. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was the predominant pathogen (30.7%), followed by Staphylococcus aureus (22.1%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (15.7%). Antibiotic resistance patterns indicated significant resistance to Amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (72.1%), Ceftriaxone (65.0%), and Clindamycin (58.6%), although resistance to Amikacin (27.1%) and Ciprofloxacin (32.9%) was comparatively lower. The duration of healing differed among pathogens, with Acinetobacter baumannii requiring the longest length of 25 days, whereas Pseudomonas aeruginosa healed in a shorter duration of 14 days. Burn infection showed a strong link with antibiotic treatment (p = 0.024, 0.0182), whereas wound infection demonstrated a poor correlation (p = 0.089). Conclusion: The results underscore the necessity of ongoing monitoring of antibiotic resistance in wound and burn infections to inform empirical treatment. Targeted antimicrobial stewardship strategies can mitigate the advancement of resistance to infections and enhance clinical outcomes.