Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Postpartum women have relatively weaker bodies and may experience trauma during childbirth, providing opportunities for bacterial invasion. Therefore, there is indeed a certain risk of developing acute bacterial skin infections after childbirth. Postpartum acute bacterial skin infection can cause local or systemic symptoms, affect breastfeeding, and exacerbate the psychological and economic burden on patients. AIM: This study aimed to analyse pathogen resistance in patients with acute postpartum bacterial skin infections and the differences of T lymphocytes and inflammatory factors. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this case control study, a total of 100 patients with acute postpartum bacterial skin infections were selected as the experimental group. Another 100 healthy parturients were selected as the controls. The peripheral blood samples of the two groups were collected to detect the distribution of T lymphocyte subsets. The levels of inflammatory factors were detected. Separation and identification of pathogenic bacteria and drug sensitive test were performed in the experimental subjects. RESULTS: The pathogens and drug resistance: Gram-positive bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus and β-haemolytic Streptococcus were highly resistant to penicillin, erythromycin, clindamycin, and tetracycline, but sensitive to linezolid and vancomycin. Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and other Gram-negative bacteria were highly resistant to amoxicillin, ampicillin, aztreonam, ceftriaxone, cefazolin, ciprofloxacin, and sensitive to imipenem. CD4+ and CD4+/CD8+ were markedly higher, and Th17/Treg was markedly lower in the controls compared to the experimental subjects (p < 0.05). IL-4, IL-10, and hs-CRP in the experimental subjects were higher compared to the controls (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli are the most common drug-resistant pathogens in patients with acute postpartum bacterial skin infections. The immune system plays an important regulatory role in the process of infection. T lymphocytes and inflammatory factors are differentially expressed in the process of infection.