One of the major concern among health personnel is wound infections since the exposure of subcutaneous tissue following loss of skin integrity provides a moist warm and nutritive environment that is conducive to microbial growth and colonization, this study was designed to isolate, identified ,and characterized bacteria species from various wounds among in-patients of the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex (OAUTHC),Nigeria. The antibiotic susceptibility profile of the predominant isolates was also carried out.All samples were initially collected and introduced into brain heart infusion broth and transferred into the laboratory for analysis. A loopful of each was streaked onto differential and selective media; eosin methylene blue, mannitol salt agar, cysteine lactose electrolyte deficient and blood agar plate. Colonies that grew on each media were studied and further characterized by standard bacteriological methods.Altogether, 60 of bacterial agents were recovered from 46 samples. Gram positive organisms consisted 55% of which 75.8% were cocci. Staphylococci constituted 40% of the bacteria isolates with coagulase negative Staphylococci accounting for 21.7% of these isolates. Staphylococcus aureus accounted for 18.3%; other Gram positive encountered were Bacillus spp. and Corynebacterium spp. both accounting for 24.2% of the gram positive isolates.Gram negative rods accounted for 45% of Enterobacter spp the total isolates with Pseudomonas spp. predominating 11.7%, followed by Proteus spp. 8.3%, and Alkaligens spp.8.3%. Other Gram negative rods recovered were Salmonella spp. 5.0%, Shigella spp. 5.0%, 1.67%,and Escherichia coli, 1.67%. Most of the bacteria isolates were resistant to the antimicrobial used. This suggest that improved chemotherapeutic evaluation scheme be put in place to combat the ineffectiveness of antimicrobial therapy as a result of high incidence of resistance among the isolates.

Keywords: Wound, In-patients, Staphylococcus aureus, Antibiotic.