Isolation and Characterization of Bacteria Isolates Associated with Diabetic Foot Infection among Patients Attending General Hospital, Wushishi, Niger State

Abstract

Diabetic foot wounds are frequently polymicrobial and increasingly drug-resistant. Chronic diabetic wounds are colonized by biofilm producing microorganism, which could lead to soft tissue infection, bone infection, and subsequently lower limb amputation. This study aims to characterize and determine the antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of bacteria isolated from diabetic foot wounds of patients attending General Hospital, Wushishi, Niger State. Fifteen adult diabetic patients with foot wounds were selected. Wound swab samples were cultured on blood agar, MacConkey agar, and chocolate agar (aerobic with 5–10% CO). Isolates were identified using standard biochemical tests. This was followed by susceptibility testing using the disk diffusion method. Seventeen bacterial isolates were identified, including Staphylococcus aureus (6; 35.3%), Escherichia coli (5; 29.4%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (4; 23.5%), and Klebsiella spp. (2; 11.8%). High resistance was observed for amoxicillin and amoxicillin–clavulanate, while high susceptibility was observed for fluoroquinolones and aminoglycosides for Gram-negatives. The study revealed that diabetic foot wounds at the facility studied were commonly infected with S. aureus and Enterobacter ales, with resistance observed to β-lactams antibiotics. There is a need for controlled empirical treatment therapy for antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections in diabetic wound patients.