Prevalence of gram-negative infections in cervico-facial sepsis

Abstract

In cervico-facial sepsis a substantial proportion of organisms are normally gram-negative staining of which the majority are anaerobes (Boyanova 2006 and Sanchez 2010). At Tygerberg Academic Hospital and Tygerberg Oral Health Centre it has been found that patients treated for cervico-facial sepsis seldom have gram-negative organisms on culture, although the staining results reported the presence of gram-negative organisms. The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of gram-negative staining in a population of patients with cervico-facial sepsis and to determine the number of gram-negative stains that yield gram-negative organisms on culture. Results indicated that 71 out of a possible 90 pus swabs reported a gram stain. Of those, 48 specimens stained gram-negative and only two of these cultured gram-negative organisms. Although gram-negative organisms are present on gram stain, microbiological diagnosis of gram-negative organisms on culture was very seldom found at the Maxillofacial and Oral Surgery unit at the Tygerberg Academic Hospital and Tygerberg Oral Health Centre.