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Bactogram : Spatial Analysis of Bacterial Colonisation in Epidermal Wounds

Wallblom, Karl LU orcid ; Forsberg, Fredrik LU orcid ; Lundgren, Sigrid LU ; Fisher, Jane LU ; Cardoso, José LU ; Petruk, Ganna LU orcid ; Strömdahl, Ann Charlotte LU ; Saleh, Karim LU ; Puthia, Manoj LU and Schmidtchen, Artur LU (2024) In Experimental Dermatology 33(12). p.1-14
Abstract

Skin barrier damage and subsequent development of harmful microbiota contribute to conditions such as wound infections, atopic dermatitis and chronic wounds, which impact millions of people globally and pose a significant economic burden on healthcare systems. Established microbial sampling methods, such as swabs and tissue biopsies, provide limited information on the spatial distribution of bacteria. We here describe a new method that produces a visual map of the distribution of cultivable bacteria, denoted ‘Bactogram’, across the whole wound and surrounding skin, suitable for image-based quantification. As part of an exploratory endpoint in a clinical trial we applied the Bactogram method to 48 suction blister wounds in 24 healthy... (More)

Skin barrier damage and subsequent development of harmful microbiota contribute to conditions such as wound infections, atopic dermatitis and chronic wounds, which impact millions of people globally and pose a significant economic burden on healthcare systems. Established microbial sampling methods, such as swabs and tissue biopsies, provide limited information on the spatial distribution of bacteria. We here describe a new method that produces a visual map of the distribution of cultivable bacteria, denoted ‘Bactogram’, across the whole wound and surrounding skin, suitable for image-based quantification. As part of an exploratory endpoint in a clinical trial we applied the Bactogram method to 48 suction blister wounds in 24 healthy volunteers. Bacteria developed in all wounds, predominantly on the skin under the dressing and near wound edges. Two quantification methods, based on visual scoring and image analysis, demonstrated high inter-, and intra-rater agreement and were used to characterise bacterial re-colonisation during epidermal wound healing. We also demonstrated proof of concept that the method can be used with chromogenic agar to enable spatial identification of pathogenic bacterial species, such as Staphylococcus aureus. In conclusion, this study introduces a simple method for sampling bacteria over large areas and generating a bacterial map that can identify spatial variations in bacterial composition and abundance in skin and wound conditions. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT05378997.

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author
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
clinical study, microbiology, Staphylococcus aureus, wound healing, wound infection
in
Experimental Dermatology
volume
33
issue
12
article number
e70018
pages
1 - 14
publisher
John Wiley & Sons Inc.
external identifiers
  • pmid:39627888
  • scopus:85211122769
ISSN
0906-6705
DOI
10.1111/exd.70018
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
aec7623c-d7d5-4748-8ed3-4badb7b06545
date added to LUP
2025-01-21 14:41:25
date last changed
2025-07-09 04:28:52
@article{aec7623c-d7d5-4748-8ed3-4badb7b06545,
  abstract     = {{<p>Skin barrier damage and subsequent development of harmful microbiota contribute to conditions such as wound infections, atopic dermatitis and chronic wounds, which impact millions of people globally and pose a significant economic burden on healthcare systems. Established microbial sampling methods, such as swabs and tissue biopsies, provide limited information on the spatial distribution of bacteria. We here describe a new method that produces a visual map of the distribution of cultivable bacteria, denoted ‘Bactogram’, across the whole wound and surrounding skin, suitable for image-based quantification. As part of an exploratory endpoint in a clinical trial we applied the Bactogram method to 48 suction blister wounds in 24 healthy volunteers. Bacteria developed in all wounds, predominantly on the skin under the dressing and near wound edges. Two quantification methods, based on visual scoring and image analysis, demonstrated high inter-, and intra-rater agreement and were used to characterise bacterial re-colonisation during epidermal wound healing. We also demonstrated proof of concept that the method can be used with chromogenic agar to enable spatial identification of pathogenic bacterial species, such as Staphylococcus aureus. In conclusion, this study introduces a simple method for sampling bacteria over large areas and generating a bacterial map that can identify spatial variations in bacterial composition and abundance in skin and wound conditions. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT05378997.</p>}},
  author       = {{Wallblom, Karl and Forsberg, Fredrik and Lundgren, Sigrid and Fisher, Jane and Cardoso, José and Petruk, Ganna and Strömdahl, Ann Charlotte and Saleh, Karim and Puthia, Manoj and Schmidtchen, Artur}},
  issn         = {{0906-6705}},
  keywords     = {{clinical study; microbiology; Staphylococcus aureus; wound healing; wound infection}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{12}},
  pages        = {{1--14}},
  publisher    = {{John Wiley & Sons Inc.}},
  series       = {{Experimental Dermatology}},
  title        = {{Bactogram : Spatial Analysis of Bacterial Colonisation in Epidermal Wounds}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/exd.70018}},
  doi          = {{10.1111/exd.70018}},
  volume       = {{33}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}