Antimicrobial resistance patterns in diabetic foot infections, an epidemiological study in northeastern Italy

Abstract

This study is a retrospective epidemiological assessment of bacterial species isolated from a cohort of out-patients with diabetic foot infections referred to our “Diabetic Foot Unit” over one year, with particular attention to index pathogens, as identified by the EARS Network. Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa accounted for 33.5% and 11.9% of cases, respectively. MRSA was isolated in 27.1% of patients, with 14.06% showing additional resistance to three antimicrobial classes. Pseudomonas aeruginosa presented extensive resistance to fluoroquinolones (57.3%), which was associated with resistance to piperacillin in 17.6% or to carbapenems in 23.5% of cases. Other pathogens, such as methicillin resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli and Morganella mor-ganii ESBL and Enterococcus faecium VRE, were also found.