Cutaneous Bacterial Infections in Diabetes and Treatment

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a debilitating, life-limiting disease. According to recent estimates, 415 million adults currently suffer from the disease. This number is expected to rise to 642 million by 2040. Skin disorders can often predict the onset of this metabolic disorder. Uncontrolled hyperglycaemia impairs the overall immunity of the diabetic patient, involving various mechanistic pathways, resulting in the diabetic skin being immunocompromised and prone to bacterial infections. Among others, diabetic foot infections are very common. There are specific microbes that are associated with each type of infection, and the presence of these microbes is an indication of the specific type of infection. In this chapter we have focused on the association of DM with different types of bacterial skin infections and resistance patterns to antimicrobial agents commonly used in the treatment of diabetes-associated infections.