Fungal burn wound infection. A 10-year experience.

Author(s): Becker WK, Cioffi WG Jr, McManus AT, Kim SH, McManus WF, Mason AD, Pruitt BA Jr

Affiliation(s): US Army Institute of Surgical Research, Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, TX 78234-5012.

Publication date & source: 1991-01, Arch Surg., 126(1):44-8.

Publication type:

To evaluate our experience with fungal burn wound infection, we performed a 10-year review for comparison with our experience with bacterial burn wound infection. During the study period, a marked decline occurred in bacterial wound infection but not in fungal wound infection. Patients with either bacterial or fungal burn wound infection had massive injury, with burn size averaging greater than 50% of the total body surface area. Factors that appear to have markedly reduced bacterial burn wound infection, including patient isolation, topical chemotherapeutic agents, and burn wound excision, do not appear to have had a similar effect on fungal wound infection. The mechanism of spread and colonization of fungi, and the lack of effective topical chemotherapeutic antifungal agents, may explain in part our findings.