Chronic Wound Biofilms: Pathogenesis and Potential Therapies.

Chronic wounds are a growing medical problem that cause high rates of morbidity and mortality, costing the healthcare industry in the United States millions of dollars annually. Chronic wound healing is hampered by the presence of bacterial infections that form biofilms, in which the bacteria are encased in exopolysaccharide (EPS) and are less metabolically active than their free-living counterparts. Bacterial biofilms make chronic wounds more refractory to treatment and slow tissue repair by stimulating chronic inflammation at the wound site.

Synergistic interactions of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus in an in vitro wound model.

In individuals with polymicrobial infections, microbes often display synergistic interactions that can enhance their colonization, virulence, or persistence. One of the most prevalent types of polymicrobial infection occurs in chronic wounds, where Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus are the two most common causes. Although they are the most commonly associated microbial species in wound infections, very little is known about their interspecies relationship.

Antibiofilm Efficacy of DispersinB(®) Wound Spray Used in Combination with a Silver Wound Dressing.

Chronic wounds including diabetic foot ulcers, pressure ulcers, and venous leg ulcers are a worldwide health problem. As the traditional methods of treatment have proven ineffective against chronic wounds involving biofilms, there is an unmet clinical need for developing products with an antibiofilm component that inhibits and/or disrupts biofilms and thus make the biofilm-embedded bacteria more susceptible to antimicrobial therapy. We developed a DispersinB® antibiofilm enzyme-based wound spray for treating chronic wounds in conjunction with an antimicrobial.

Insulin treatment modulates the host immune system to enhance Pseudomonas aeruginosa wound biofilms.

Diabetes affects 25.8 million people in the United States, or 8.3% of the population, and these numbers are even higher in developing countries.