BACTERIAL AETIOLOGY OF BONE LESIONS,IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL

This study was planned to observe the bacteriological pattern of causative organisms of osteo- myelitis reporting to orthopedic unit at Ghurki Trust Teaching Hospitals, (GTTH) Lahore. The objective of this study was to know the type / frequency of infection in orthopaedic surgery in a public hospital and its treatment. It is a retrospective study carried out between Dec 2006 and Jan 2008. A total of one hundred and sixty five (165) patient samples were received at Lahore Medical and Dental College Lahore (LM DC) during this period. They included 113 males and 52 females with age range of 01 to 80 years. All the patients were investigated in outpatient departments and Orthopaedic wards. Among the 165 patient investigated only 89 were found infected (63 males and 26 females). The commonest infecting organism isolated was Staphylococcus (54%) followed by enterobacteriaceae (23%) that included (proteus spp (12.5%), E.coli (8%), Klebseilla (2.5%) Pseu- domonas aeruginosa (18%), anaerobes (2.5%) and miscellaneous (2.5%). Two (2.5%) anerobic bac- teria were isolated, anaerobic bacteria were peptostreptococci and bacteroides either alone or as a mixed infection. The different kind of bacterial isolation shows no relation with age and gender. This increase in Pseudomonas aeruginosa as a significant bone pathogen is related to the incre- asing nosocomial nature of osteomyelitis.