Jacques publishes in AJOG

In a new article in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Laura Jacques, MD, assistant professor in the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Academic Specialists in Ob-Gyn, examines types of bacteria found at surgical site infections (SSIs) to help inform prophylactic antibiotic choices. 

In “Characterization of bacterial composition of surgical site infections after gynecologic surgery”, Jacques and co-authors examine microbiological cultures from patients with SSIs over a ten-year span. They found:

“Superficial and deep incisional SSIs are predominantly associated with bacteria typically found in the intestine and vagina, though skin bacteria are also commonly present. Organ/space SSIs are predominantly associated with intestinal bacteria, with anaerobes being recovered in more than three-quarters of these infections…Given the prevalence of anaerobic organisms that we found in all types of SSIs, further research should compare the effectiveness of preoperative antimicrobial prophylactic agents in preventing anaerobe-related SSIs after gynecologic surgery.”

Read the whole study here!