Microbiology of breast abscesses

Introduction: Treatment of breast abscesses is based on drainage and antibiotic therapy directed at the bacteria causing the infection. The aim of this study was to know the etiological agents of breast abscesses. Methods: Patients who had a culture-positive breast abscess between September 2015 and January 2020 were included in the study. Culture results were consulted in the laboratory database. It was collected from medical records if the patients presented the following risk factors: breastfeeding, diabetes or smoking. Abscesses secondary to surgical wound infection were excluded. Results: Sixty patients were included: 58 women and 2 men. Staphylococcus aureus was the most frequent agent in lactating women. Anaerobic bacteria were isolated in 28 (61%) of 46 abscesses in non-lactating patients. In non-lactating patients, the frequency of anaerobes in abscesses was lower in diabetics than in the rest (0/5 vs 26/38; A=.013). In non-lactating and non-diabetic patients, the proportion of abscesses with anaerobes was higher in smokers than in non-smokers (21/24 vs 5/14; P= .003). Aerobic gram-positive cocci were the most frequent agents in diabetics. Conclusion: Anaerobes were the most frequent agents, followed by S. aureus. The etiology of breast abscesses varied with the risk factors studied. (C) 2021 Sociedad Espanola de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiologia Clinica. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L.U. All rights reserved.