A retrospective analysis of bacterial colonization epidemiology in pediatric burn patients in Qatar.

Authors

Soliman Mohamed Aly, Ahmed Al Homosy, Islam Abu El Fotoh, Jimmy Thomas

Published in

Qatar medical journal. Volume 2026. Issue 3. Pages 56. Epub Aug 25, 2026.

Abstract

Burn injuries in children are associated with a high risk of wound colonization and infection due to loss of skin integrity and prolonged hospitalization. Understanding temporal microbiological patterns is essential to guide clinical management and antimicrobial stewardship.
A retrospective cohort study was conducted at the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) of Al-Wakrah Hospital, Qatar, between 2022 and 2025. Children aged 1 month to 14 years with burn injuries and at least one wound culture were included. Early (≤72 hours) and late (>72 hours) wound colonization patterns, antimicrobial utilization, and sepsis outcomes were analyzed using Fisher's exact test.
A total of 199 patients were included (mean age 3 years), with scald burns accounting for 86.4% and most burns involving ≤10% total body surface area (TBSA). Early wound cultures were predominantly no growth or normal flora (68.2%). In contrast, late cultures demonstrated a significant decline in normal flora (10.5% vs 27.3%, p < 0.001) and a shift toward Gram-negative organisms, particularly Pseudomonas aeruginosa (7.2% vs 0.5%, p = 0.002), along with emergence of yeast (3.9% vs 0%, p = 0.008). Larger burns (>10% TBSA) were significantly associated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa colonization (p = 0.003). Antibiotic use among patients with negative cultures increased significantly in the late phase (56.7% vs 28.8%, p = 0.003). Sepsis occurred in 5.5% of patients and was more frequent in larger burns, although not statistically significant.
Pediatric burn wound microbiology demonstrates a clear temporal shift toward Gram-negative organisms with prolonged hospitalization, particularly in larger burns. Increased antibiotic use in patients with negative cultures highlights important opportunities for antimicrobial stewardship and optimization of prescribing practices.

PMID:
42713143
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 09 Sep 2026.

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