A study on microbiological profile and risk factors of breast abscess cases attending a tertiary care hospital in Kolkata

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Primary breast abscesses occur both in the puerperal and nonpuerperal settings and affect women of all ages. Breast abscesses are a common complication of the postpartum period afflicting 9%–33% of all lactating women. Incision and drainage with postoperative antibiotic drugs has been suggested as the treatment of choice but data regarding the bacteriological profile and antibiotic susceptibility is lacking. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To find out the risk factors, bacteriological profile along with antibiotic susceptibility pattern of breast abscess cases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 136 breast abscess cases were studied over a period of 1 year to identify the risk factors and to isolate the organisms. RESULTS: Among 136 cases 88 (64.7%) were suffering from puerperal breast abscess whereas 48 (35.3%) patients suffered from nonpuerperal breast abscess. Staphylococcus aureus was the predominant pathogen, of which 57.35% showed methicillin resistance. Young age, primiparous, difficulty in lactation came out to be the most important risk factors for development of puerperal breast abscess whereas diabetes mellitus was the predominant risk factor for nonpuerperal breast abscess. DISCUSSION: This is the first study from India in recent past to evaluate the susceptibility patterns of bacterial isolates from breast abscesses as well as risk factors for development of breast abscesses which highlights probably the emergence of community-acquired methicillin-resistant S. aureus as a predominant pathogen of breast abscess cases.