Whether a wound—such as a diabetic foot ulcer—heals or progresses to a worse outcome, including infection or even amputation, may depend on the microbiome within that wound. A new study from the Perelman School of Medicine found specific strains of the common pathogen Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) are associated with wounds that do not heal. Researchers also identified other common bacteria in these wounds that can impair or even improve healing, suggesting that monitoring the microbes of diabetic foot ulcers could provide doctors with information on how best to treat these wounds. Cell Host and Microbe published the findings.
About 10 percent of Americans have been diagnosed with diabetes, and one quarter of these patients will develop a wound that does not heal. In the worst case outcome, which occurs in up to 25 percent of these wound-developing patients, the wounds will require an amputation. Many patients who develop these ulcers may not notice the initial signs, since the high blood glucose of diabetes can lead to a lack of feeling and deformation of the feet. As a result, patients with diabetes commonly develop foot ulcers that may go unnoticed over time. Current treatments are insufficient, meaning patients can live with these wounds for months or even years without healing. The mortality rate associated with diabetic foot ulcers is equivalent to that of breast cancer and prostate cancer combined—higher than 70 percent when they lead to amputation.
“While wounds don’t receive the attention of other diseases, they’re incredibly common, and our study increases our understanding of how microbes impair or promote healing,” says the study’s senior author Elizabeth Grice, an associate professor of dermatology.
Read more at Penn Medicine News.
