Bacteria strains in diabetic wounds linked to impaired healing
S. aureus has been associated with unhealed ulcers, say researchers
Different strains of bacteria in diabetic foot ulcers are associated with clinical outcomes and therapeutic efficacy, US researchers report.
Microbial colonisation, biofilm formation and infection are thought to impair healing of diabetic foot ulcers and contribute to severe complications.
But the significance of microbial load and diversity and the role of specific micro-organisms in outcomes and complications remain unclear.
The researchers used shotgun metagenomics — the untargeted sequencing of bulk microbial genomes in a specimen — to identify strain-level diversity and profile the genomic content of ulcer microbiota and their association with outcomes in 100 patients with neuropathic, plantar diabetic foot ulcers.
