A study of Staphylococcus Aureus infection in burns

The bacteriological control tests regularly carried out reveal the complexity of staphylococcal infection in burned patients. It is not uncommon to find several different strains which succeed one another or coexist in the same patient in the course of his hospital stay. In 5 of the 10 cases of infection of burns, an infection or superinfection of hospital origin was undoubtedly involved. Sometimes, the staphylococcus colonizes the burn furst, and subszquently tends to settle on the skin and in the nose. In other cases, the organism appears to be restricted initially to the nasal fossae, from which it subszquently spreads to the surface of the burn. This exogenous infection appears to be particularly severe, because it could not be suppressed in any of the cases. In view of the high incidence and great sseverity of this type of hospital infection, it must be admitted that the aseptic rules used, however strict are still inadequate. The failure of this prophylactic policy is to be attributed to the high degree of sensitiviy of burned tissue to infection; in burned tissue, the bacteria find conditions for multiplication that are as good as in the best artificial media. It is far better to prevent the staphylococcus from contaminating the burn than to attempt to combat the infection once it is fully established.