Introduction: Purulent complications of diabetic foot syndrome (DFS) occupy one of the leading position among surgical diseases. Modern etiological factors of foot infection are characterized by the presence of a wide range of pathogens, which can be represented by a monoculture or associations. The urgency of the problem is determined by the increasing resistance of micro-organisms to antibacterial drugs.

Aim: Study of the microbial spectrum of pathogens of infectious processes in patients with DFS and determination of their sensitivity to antibiotics.

Materials and methods: The results of treatment of 114 patients with purulent- necrotic complications of DFS were studied. The 50 (43.9%) patients had phlegmon of the foot, 25 (21.9%) – gangrene of the toes, 13 (11.4%) – gangrene of the foot, 12 (10.5%) had trophic ulcers, in 8 (7.0%) – osteomyelitis, in 6 (5.3%) – abscesses of the toes and feet. All patients underwent bacteriological examination of wound contents to determine sensitivity to antibiotics. 

Results: In 87 (76.3%) cases a monoculture was isolated, in 13 (11.4%) – microbial associations, in 14 (12.3%) patients the pathogen was not detected. Staphylococci and pathogens of the family Enterobacteriaceae were most often detected. St. Aureus was the cause of the infectious process in 28 (24.6%) patients, St. Epidermidis – in 19 (16.7%), E. Coli – in 9 (7.9%), P. mirabilis – in 8 (7.0%), Ps. Aeroginosa – in 6 (5.3%), Enterobacter – in 5 (4.4%), other microorganisms – in 12 (10.5%). The associations were dominated by a combination of St. Aureus and E. coli or St. Epidermidis and E. coli. Bacteriological examination was performed in dynamics. Analysis of the data revealed different sensitivity to antibiotics in different microorganisms. Among the detected microflora, the sensitivity to macrolides was 91.8–94.3%, cephalosporins of the IV generation – 82.3–86.6%, fluoroquinolones – 79.6–85.1%. The lowest sensitivity to penicillin antibiotics (including combined) was 65.7–76.2%, and doxycycline was 56.4–68.5%.

Conclusion: Identification of the microorganism and determination of its sensitivity to antibiotics is a obligatory component of the diagnostic and treatment process in the development of purulent complications of DFS. Among the pathogens most often found Staphylococci and pathogens of the Enterobacteriaceae. Analysis of the obtained data revealed the greatest sensitivity of microorganisms to macrolides, fluoroquinolones and cephalosporins of the IV generation.