Antibiotic Resistance in Diabetic Foot Soft Tissue Infections: A Series From Greece

Diabetic foot infections are a common and serious problem for all health systems worldwide. The aim of this study was to examine the resistance to antibiotics of microorganisms isolated from infected soft tissues of diabetic foot ulcers, using tissue cultures. We included 113 consecutive patients (70 men, 43 women) with a mean age of 66.4 ± 11.2 years and a mean diabetes duration of 14.4 ± 7.6 years presenting with diabetic foot soft tissue infections. Generally, no high antibiotic resistance was observed. Piperacillin-tazobactam exhibited the lowest resistance in Pseudomonas, as well as in the other Gram-negative pathogens. In methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates, there was no resistance to anti-Staphylococcus agents. Of note, clindamycin, erythromycin, and amoxycillin/clavulanic acid exhibited high resistance in Gram-positive cocci. These results suggest that antibiotic resistance in infected diabetic foot ulcers in our area is not high and they are anticipated to prove potentially useful in the initial choice of antibiotic regimen.