Plasma activated water as a pre-treatment strategy in the context of biofilm-infected chronic wounds.

Healing and treatment of chronic wounds are often complicated due to biofilm formation by pathogens. Here, the efficacy of plasma activated water (PAW) as a pre-treatment strategy has been investigated prior to the application of topical antiseptics polyhexamethylene biguanide, povidone iodine, and MediHoney, which are routinely used to treat chronic wounds. The efficacy of this treatment strategy was determined against biofilms of formed on a plastic substratum and on a human keratinocyte monolayer substratum used as an biofilm-skin epithelial cell model.

Synthesis and Evaluation of Functionalized Polyurethanes for pH-Responsive Delivery of Compounds in Chronic Wounds.

Chronic wounds, depending on the bacteria that caused the infection, can be associated with an extreme acidic or basic pH. Therefore, the application of pH-responsive hydrogels has been instigated for the delivery of therapeutics to chronic wounds. Herein, with the aim of developing a flexible pH-responsive hydrogel, we functionalized hydrophilic polyurethanes with either cationic (polyethylene imine) or anionic (succinic anhydride) moieties.

An Effective Sanitizer for Fresh Produce Production: Plasma-Activated Water Treatment Inactivates Pathogenic Bacteria and Maintains the Quality of Cucurbit Fruit.

The effect of plasma-activated water (PAW) generated with a dielectric barrier discharge diffusor (DBDD) system on microbial load and organoleptic quality of cucamelons was investigated and compared to the established sanitizer, sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl). Pathogenic serotypes of Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica, and Listeria monocytogenes were inoculated onto the surface of cucamelons (6.5 log CFU g) and into the wash water (6 log CFU mL).

Clinically relevant biofilm models: A need to mimic and recapitulate the host environment.

Biofilm-associated infections are difficult to treat and eradicate because of their increased antimicrobial tolerance. biofilm models have enabled the high throughput testing of an array of differing novel antimicrobials and treatment strategies. However, biofilms formed in these oftentimes basic systems do not resemble biofilms seen .

An optimised GAS-pharyngeal cell biofilm model.

Group A Streptococcus (GAS) causes 700 million infections and accounts for half a million deaths per year. Biofilm formation has been implicated in both pharyngeal and dermal GAS infections. In vitro, plate-based assays have shown that several GAS M-types form biofilms, and multiple GAS virulence factors have been linked to biofilm formation.

M1T1 Variants Induce an Inflammatory Neutrophil Phenotype Including Activation of Inflammatory Caspases.

Invasive infections due to group A (GAS) advance rapidly causing tissue degradation and unregulated inflammation. Neutrophils are the primary immune cells that respond to GAS. The neutrophil response to GAS was characterised in response to two M1T1 isolates; 5448 and animal passaged variant 5448AP.

Assessing the Role of Pharyngeal Cell Surface Glycans in Group A Biofilm Formation.

Group A (GAS) causes 700 million infections and accounts for half a million deaths per year. Antibiotic treatment failure rates of 20-40% have been observed. The role host cell glycans play in GAS biofilm formation in the context of GAS pharyngitis and subsequent antibiotic treatment failure has not been previously investigated.

Current Understanding of Group A Streptococcal Biofilms.

Background: It has been proposed that GAS may form biofilms. Biofilms are microbial communities that aggregate on a surface, and exist within a self-produced matrix of extracellular polymeric substances. Biofilms offer bacteria an increased survival advantage, in which bacteria persist, and resist host immunity and antimicrobial treatment.