Community acquired staphylococcal skin infections in rural areas of Zimbabwe.

Swabs from superficial skin or wound infection in 254 outpatients at rural clinics and hospitals in the Eastern Districts of Zimbabwe were examined for microorganisms. The most common site of infection was on the limbs, with infected wounds or abscesses being the most common complaint. Staphylococcus aureus was by far the most common pathogen being isolated from almost half the specimens. Coliforms were obtained from 36pc and streptococci from 18pc of swabs. Over two-thirds of the staphylococcal isolates showed in-vitro resistance to penicillin and there was an indication that penicillin resistant strains occurred more frequently in specimens from the Mozambique border areas. Resistance to other antibiotics occurred only rarely in these isolates, and in particular we found only three strains showing methicillin resistance, with one of these also showing resistance to gentamicin. The value of penicillinase sensitive penicillins in treating superficial wound infections is questioned.