Effect of Exposure to Rifampicin on Multi-Resistant Bacterial Isolates from Diabetic and Non-Diabetic Wounds

Abstract

The plasmid curing effect of rifampicin on multi-drug resistant bacterial isolates from diabetic and non-diabetic wounds was investigated. The isolates were resistant to gentamicin, ciprofloxacin and ofloxacin, with minimum
inhibitory concentrations of > 80μg/ml. The result with isolates from diabetic wounds revealed that Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis and Klebsiella pneumoniae showed high rates of cure (range; 75 – 100%) after rifampicin exposure, while Proteus mirabilis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa showed low cure rates (range; 0 – 20%). One strain each of Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa from non-diabetic wounds showed a high rate of cure (range; 5 – 100%), while the cure rates for other isolates ranged from 0 – 35%. Conclusively, a combination of rifampicin and other antibacterials may be effective in the management of wound infections due to bacteria carrying rifampicin curable multi-drug resistance plasmid(s).