title: Comparative diffusion assay to assess efficacy of topical antimicrobial agents against Pseudomonas aeruginosa in burns care.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Severely burned patients may develop life-threatening nosocomial infections due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which can exhibit a high-level of resistance to antimicrobial drugs and has a propensity to cause nosocomial outbreaks. Antiseptic and topical antimicrobial compounds constitute major resources for burns care but in vitro testing of their activity is not performed in practice.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In our burn unit, a P. aeruginosa clone multiresistant to antibiotics colonized or infected 26 patients over a 2-year period. This resident clone was characterized by PCR based on ERIC sequences. We investigated the susceptibility of the resident clone to silver sulphadiazine and to the main topical antimicrobial agents currently used in the burn unit. We proposed an optimized diffusion assay used for comparative analysis of P. aeruginosa strains. The resident clone displayed lower susceptibility to silver sulphadiazine and cerium silver sulphadiazine than strains unrelated to the resident clone in the unit or unrelated to the burn unit.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The diffusion assay developed herein detects differences in behaviour against antimicrobials between tested strains and a reference population. The method could be proposed for use in semi-routine practice of medical microbiology.
authors.affiliation: UMR5119, Unité de Bactériologie, Faculté de Pharmacie, Université Montpellier 1, 15 Avenue Charles Flahault, Montpellier Cedex 5, France.
authors.forename: Fabien
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Aujoulat
authors.forename: Françoise
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lebreton
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Romano
authors.forename: Milena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Delage
authors.forename: Hélène
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Marchandin
authors.forename: Monique
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brabet
authors.forename: Françoise
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bricard
authors.forename: Sylvain
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Godreuil
authors.forename: Sylvie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Parer
authors.forename: Estelle
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Jumas-Bilak
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000891:Anti-Infective Agents, Local / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002056:Burns / Q000150:complications*; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology / Q000382:microbiology; D052978:Disk Diffusion Antimicrobial Tests / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D011552:Pseudomonas Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000891:Anti-Infective Agents, Local