Bacteriological Profile and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Patterns of Bacteria Isolated from Pus/Wound Swab Samples from Children Attending a Tertiary Care Hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal

In Nepal, little is known about the microbiological profile of wound infections in children and their antimicrobial susceptibility patterns. Total of 450 pus/wound swab samples collected were cultured using standard microbiological techniques and the colonies grown were identified with the help of biochemical tests. The antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed by Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion technique. Methicillin-resistant <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> isolates were detected by using cefoxitin disc and confirmed by determining minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of oxacillin. 264 (59%) samples were culture positive. The highest incidence of bacterial infections was noted in the age group of less than 1 year (76%). Out of 264 growth positive samples, Gram-positive bacteria were isolated from 162 (61%) samples and Gram-negative bacteria were found in 102 (39%) samples. <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> (99%) was the predominant Gram-positive bacteria isolated and <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> (44%) was predominant Gram-negative bacteria. About 19% of <i>S. aureus</i> isolates were found to be methicillin-resistant MIC of oxacillin ranging from 4 <i>μ</i>g/mL to 128 <i>μ</i>g/mL. Among the children of Nepal, those of age less than 1 year were at higher risk of wound infections by bacteria. <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> followed by <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> were the most common bacteria causing wound infections in children.