Clinical management of chronic wound infections: The battle against biofilm.

Bacteria constitute the most abundant life form on earth, of which the majority exist in a protective biofilm state. Since the 1980s, we have learned much about the role of biofilm in human chronic infections, with associated global healthcare costs recently estimated at ~$386 billion. Chronic wound infection is a prominent biofilm-induced condition that is characterised by persistent inflammation and associated host tissue destruction, and clinical signs that are distinct from signs of acute wound infection.

Assessing Biofilm at the Bedside: Exploring Reliable Accessible Biofilm Detection Methods.

Introduction: Biofilm is linked through a variety of mechanisms to the pathogenesis of chronic wounds. However, accurate biofilm detection is challenging, demanding highly specialized and technically complex methods rendering it unapplicable for most clinical settings. This study evaluated promising methods of bedside biofilm localization, fluorescence imaging of wound bacterial loads, and biofilm blotting by comparing their performance against validation scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

The end of an era.

These volumes conclude a series initiated in 1974, marking almost fifty years of effort by a huge cohort of scholars. This review is thus a valedictory for the whole series as well as an account of what we have learned from the most recent volumes about Darwin's final years (1879-82). The project was begun by Frederick Burckhardt, who shared the editorial role for the early volumes with Sydney Smith and a rolling sequence of assistant editors and advisers who eventually comprised a significant fraction of the leading members of what used to be called the 'Darwin industry'.

Use of fluorescence imaging to optimize location of tissue sampling in hard-to-heal wounds.

Introduction: Wound microflora in hard-to-heal wounds is invariably complex and diverse. Determining the interfering organisms(s) is therefore challenging. Tissue sampling, particularly in large wounds, is subjective and, when performed, might involve swabbing or biopsy of several locations.