Bacteriology of burn wounds — the first three years in a new burn unit at the Medical College Chandigarh

A retrospective study was conducted at Government Medical College and Hospital, Chandigarh to analyse the bacterial isolates from the wounds of patients admitted to the Burns Unit and to determine the sensitivity pattern of the commonly cultured organisms over a 3-year period from May 1997 to May 2000. A total of 336 samples were analysed, with 293 positive samples yielding 324 isolates. The isolates obtained from the culture of wound swabs were single in the majority of cases (78.0%). Pseudomonas was the most commonly cultured organism (54.2%) followed by Staphylococcus aureus (20.8%). Isolation of other organisms was uncommon by comparison. No isolates of beta-hemolytic streptococci or diptheroids were encountered.