[An investigation of bacterial epidemiology and an analysis of bacterial resistance to antibiotics in a burn unit from 1993 to 1999].

Objective: To investigate the bacterial epidemiology in our department in recent years, so as to provide assistance to the clinical management of burn patients.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was carried out with 345 bacterial cultures from burn wound and drug-sensitivity results in 784 burn patients during 1993 to 1999 in our department.

Results: (1) Among all the bacteria, gram negative (G(-)) bacilli accounted for 56.8%, while gram positive (G(+)) cocci and fungi in 3.8%. (2) Among all the G(+) cocci, 65.4% were Staphylococcus aureus, in which MRSA was identified in 53.9% during 1993 - 1999 and in 64.3% during 1998 - 1999. Pseudomonus aeruginosa accounted for 37.2% of all G(-) bacilli. (3) The 3rd generation of cephalosporins shew excellent anti-bacterial capabilities, but the bacterial resistance to them increased significantly. (4) MRSA was very sensitive to both vancomycin and norvancomycin with no report of antibiotic resistance to them.

Conclusion: G(-) bacilli were still predominant bacteria in our burn department when compared to G(+) cocci. The 3rd generation cephalosporins are the routine antibiotics for the present. But resistant bacteria are on the increase. There are also more and more MRSAs isolated from burn wounds. For this, vancomycin and norvancomycin should be preferably used.