Journal of Wound Care – Members of the Perfectus Biomed team have been working alongside Mark Rippon (PhD Visiting Clinical Research Fellow, Huddersfield University) and Alan Rogers (Medical Communications Consultant) to investigate the effectiveness of a non-medicated wound dressing on attached and biofilm encased bacteria.
The Perfectus Biomed team includes senior microbiologists Laura Sellars and Kathryn Styles, and CEO Samantha Westgate.
About the Study
The study aimed to evaluate the ability of a non-medicated, hydro-responsive wound dressing (HRWD) to remove bacteria that are known to reside within the wound.
The team used a series of in vitro studies using Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms. These studies tested the biofilm disruption and dispersion abilities of the HRWD. Results showed that HRWD can break-up and disperse biofilms while reducing numbers of S. aureus and P aeruginosa. Despite this, studies found that no ‘active’ agents with antimicrobial effects are released into the wound surroundings.
Overall, these studies indicated that the HRWD can be used as an effective debridement tool, and there are other ‘physical’ antimicrobial mechanisms impacting bacterial residence. These mechanisms include 1) breaking up and dispersal of biofilms so that the resultant planktonic bacteria are absorbed by the dressing and then 2) sequestered and retained (trapped) within its matrix. Additionally, when PHMB (polyhexamethylene biguanide) is bound within the dressing core but is not released into the wound environment there is the added antimicrobial effect resulting from 3) physical contact with this antiseptic component. Reducing the pathogenicity of the bacteria still further is the dressings ability to 4) absorb and sequester the damaging proteases released by pathogenic bacteria.
To access the full paper, please follow this link.
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