The Common Organisms of Invasive Infection in Burns and the Choice of Antibiotics

Abstract

Colonization of burn wounds soon after injury seems inevitable. However, as a matter of fact, most of them are superficial or noninvasive. Whenever the organisms were found to be from the adjacent unburnt tissue, the nature of the infection would turn out to be invasive, and a different clinical significance would emerge. In our unit, during the period from April 1980 to April 1982, a total of 226 strains of organisms isolated from cultures of the subeschar unburnt tissue were collected. These data may reflect some clinical aspects of the common invasive organisms of burns in the early 1980s. Meanwhile, thorough investigations of drug sensitivity to 17 antibiotics were carried out. A reference scheme of antibiotic choice can thus be presented.