Table 2.
Organisms responsible for skin and soft tissue infections
| Organism | Anti-TNF, n | DMARD, n |
|---|---|---|
| Gram-positive species | ||
| Staphylococcus aureus* | 84 | 11 |
| Coagulase negative staphylococci | 8 | 1 |
| Streptococcus spp.† | 11 | 1 |
| Gram-negative species | ||
| Pseudomonas aeruginosa | 20 | 1 |
| Proteus mirabilis | 2 | 1 |
| Stenotrophomonas maltophilia | 1 | 0 |
| Escherichia coli | 1 | 0 |
| Klebsiella spp.† | 1 | 0 |
| Morganella morganii | 1 | 0 |
| Enterobacter spp. | 1 | 0 |
| No culture information available | 140 | 24 |
*
Staphylococci were reported to be methicillin-resistant species in 24 (29%) of the anti-TNF episodes and four (36%) of the DMARD cases.
†
Reports in which subspecies information was not provided are listed by generic ‘spp.’
The species breakdown for soft tissue infections shows that staphylococcus was the most prevalent organism in both groups. Pseudomonas was observed more frequently in the anti-TNF cohort.
DMARD, disease-modifying antirheumatic drug; TNF, tumour necrosis factor.