OBJECTIVETo investigate the changes in the bacterial ecology and to analyze the bacterial resistance to antibiotics in a burn ward in Nanning district during the past 15 years, so as to provide reference to the clinical management of burn infection under subtropical climate.

METHODSFive thousand eight hundred and fifty-five strains of bacteria were isolated from the wounds and blood of 2269 burn patients admitted to our hospital from April of 1989 to March of 2004. Kiry-Bauer method was employed for the detection of antibiotic sensitivity test. The bacterial examination and bacterial resistance were analyzed in spans of every five years.

RESULTSBurn patients in our district were mainly infected by the gram negative bacilli (3559 strains, accounting for 60.79%), among which Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobacter cloacae and Nitrate negative bacilli were major ones in every period. Gram positive cocci accounted for 33.99% (1990 strains), which ranked the second, among which Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Coagulase negative staphylococci (MRCNS) were the most predominant ones. The bacterial resistance to multiple antibiotics, such as Gentamicin, third generation of Cephalosporin, and Norfloxacin showed a tendency of increase or maintained at high level while the incidence of resistance to Imipenem and Vancomycin was very low.

CONCLUSIONThe climate and the way of using antibiotics exerted direct effects on the status of the bacterial ecology and change in bacterial resistance to various antibiotics.