Bacteriology of sickle-cell leg ulcers in the equatorial forest belt of South-Western Nigeria

Forty-one sickle-cell leg ulcer patients attending the haematology out-patient clinic of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City, Nigeria were included in this study and had swabs taken for bacterial studies. Single bacterial isolates were more frequent (68%) than mixed isolates (22%). No growth was obtained in 10% of patients. The relative frequency of Staphylococcus aureus was 57%; and the next most frequent organism was Escherichia coli (17%). Coliforms were relatively less frequent. Salmonella species and anaerobes were not isolated. The high incidence of skin pathogens (90%) raises the possibility of a bacterial role in the prevention of healing of these ulcers. A case is made for the use of appropriate antibiotics in promoting early healing.