AB208. SOH25_AB_353. A single centre retrospective comparison of cutaneous abscess pathogen isolations
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AB208. SOH25_AB_353. A single centre retrospective comparison of cutaneous abscess pathogen isolations

Ahmed Aydrose, Abdelwanis Azza, Nicola Cullen, Seoidín McKittrick, Efthymios Koutroumanos, Tara Connelly

Department of Surgery, University Hospital Limerick, Limerick, Ireland

Background: The optimal management of cutaneous abscesses remains controversial, with no consensus on balancing antibiotic therapy and surgical intervention. We evaluated the microbiological profiles of abscesses requiring surgical incision and drainage (I&D).

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed microbiological results and records of patients undergoing surgical I&D for cutaneous abscesses between December 2022 and November 2023 using SPSS software to perform odds-ratio, t-test, ANOVA, and Mann-Whitney-U testing.

Results: Of 126 patients, the most common abscess location was perianal (33%), then pilonidal (23%), the remaining (45%) distributed across other sites. Microorganisms were detected in 90% of samples, 64% had sensitivity testing. The most common pathogens were Staphylococcus aureus (26%), Escherichia coli (14%), Streptococcus anginosus Milleri (9%), Beta-Haemolytic Streptococcus (8%), Enterococcus (7%), methicilin resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) (5%), Streptococcus constellatus Milleri (4%). Patients with antimicrobial sensitivity testing had longer post-operative hospitalisations (P=0.03). Incidence of sensitivity testing completion varied, perianal more likely to be tested (P=0.004). 28.9% of pilonidal abscesses had E. coli. Pilonidal abscess pathogens varied with equal incidences of Enterococcus (10.7%), Streptococcus Anginosus Milleri (10.7%), Staphylococcus Aureus (10.7%). Staphylococcus aureus (P=0.003) and MRSA-positive cultures (P<0.001) were more common for paediatric patients, associated with longer wait times for surgery (P=0.04) and increased out-of-hours procedures (67.7% vs. 46.1%, odds ratio 2.5, 95% confidence interval: 1.04–5.8).

Conclusions: We demonstrate variation in site and pathogen. Paediatric patients had higher rates of Staphylococcus aureus, MRSA and out-of-hours procedures. We recommend tailored approaches for abscess management, optimising antimicrobial testing to improve outcomes.

Keywords: Cutaneous abscess; incision and drainage (I&D); abscess drainage; abscess pathogen; abscess management

Acknowledgments

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Footnote

Funding: None.

Conflicts of Interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Ethical Statement: The authors are accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Open Access Statement: This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), which permits the non-commercial replication and distribution of the article with the strict proviso that no changes or edits are made and the original work is properly cited (including links to both the formal publication through the relevant DOI and the license). See: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.

doi: 10.21037/map-25-ab208
Cite this abstract as: Aydrose A, Azza A, Cullen N, McKittrick S, Koutroumanos E, Connelly T. AB208. SOH25_AB_353. A single centre retrospective comparison of cutaneous abscess pathogen isolations. Mesentery Peritoneum 2025;9:AB208.

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