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.

Biofilm also enables greater tolerance to antimicrobial agents in chronic wound infections compared with acute wound infections.

Given the difficulty in eliminating wound biofilm, a multi-targeted strategy (namely biofilm-based wound care) involving debridement and antimicrobial therapies were introduced and have been practiced since the early 2000s.

More recently, acknowledgement of the speed at which biofilm can develop and hence quickly interfere with wound healing has highlighted the need for an early anti-biofilm strategy to combat biofilm before it takes control and prevents wound healing.

This strategy, referred to as wound hygiene, involves multiple tools in combination (debridement, cleansing, and antimicrobial dressings) to maximise success in biofilm removal and encourage wound healing.

This review is intended to highlight the issues and challenges associated with biofilm-induced chronic infections, and specifically address the challenges in chronic wound management, and tools required to combat biofilm and encourage wound healing.