Luca Mazzeo, Aikaterini Andreadi, Ermanno Bellizzi, Valeria Ruotolo, Maria Romano, Rossana Cipriano,
Laura Giurato, Alfonso Bellia, Luigi Uccioli, Marco Meloni, Davide Lauro
This study aimed to evaluate microbiological patterns and their relationship with outcomes in patients hospitalised for diabetic foot infection (DFI). It was a retrospective observational study involving 123 patients, with an average age of 67.8 years; 74.5% were male, and 97.5% had type 2 diabetes. Of these, 22% had osteomyelitis, while 78% had soft tissue infections. The most commonly isolated bacteria were Methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) (26%), Enterococcus faecalis (12.2%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (10.6%), and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (7.3%). Polymicrobial infections were present in 37.8% of cases. Minor and major amputation rates were 56.3% and 4.2%, respectively. Amputees were older, had higher rates of ischemic diabetic foot ulcers (91.7% vs 70.6%), and higher white blood cell (WBC) levels (10.9 vs 8.3 x 10³/μL). However, no correlation was found between the type of bacteria, polymicrobial infections, or the type of infection and amputation. Severe infections, defined by WBC>12,000 x 10³/μL, were an independent predictor of amputation. Staphylococcus aureus was the most frequently isolated bacteria, but microbiological characteristics were not independently linked to amputation. Amputation was instead related to the clinical severity of the infection.