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This study aimed at evaluating the possibility of predicting septicemia in burn patients by using wound surface and tissue culture techniques as well as blood cultures. Fifty patients with full-thickness burn wounds covering at least 10% of the total body surface area were included. Signs of septicemia were noted in 21 patients (42%) and 29 patients died (58%). The bacterial colonization of the burn wounds consisted mainly of Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Sepsis was better correlated to quantitative burn tissue biopsy cultures than surface swab cultures but the time needed for processing limits its predictive and therapeutic value.

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Cleft lip and palate (CLP) is often a distressful abnormality for both mother and child. In our setting, CLP is generally associated with witchcraft or ancestral spirits. The mother is often accused of infidelity during pregnancy. We wanted to determine the feelings of parents and the wider public towards CLP babies, to establish what parents believed were the causes of CLP and to establish the postpartum marital status. One hundred and twenty-four parents were prospectively included in the study. They were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. One hundred and fifteen mothers and four fathers said they loved their babies. Thirty-eight parents attributed CLP to witchcraft. Nineteen percent of the mothers were divorced. The responses to our questionnaire show that although CLP babies are loved by their parents, the condition is associated with stigma and superstition.