Occurrence of bacterial biofilm in leprosy plantar ulcers

Background: Plantar ulceration is the most common and serious disability in people affected by leprosy. There is a lack of evidence on biofilm formation among clinical isolates of bacteria in plantar ulcers in leprosy. Objectives: The study was undertaken to screen for bacterial biofilm production i...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Leprosy review 2020-06, Vol.91 (2), p.130-138
Main Authors: Ebineshan, Kumar, Pallapati, Michael Sukumar, Srikantam, Aparna
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bacterial infections
Complications and side effects
Development and progression
Drug resistance in microorganisms
Foot
Leprosy
Leprosy research
Microbial mats
Risk factors
Ulcers
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Summary:Background: Plantar ulceration is the most common and serious disability in people affected by leprosy. There is a lack of evidence on biofilm formation among clinical isolates of bacteria in plantar ulcers in leprosy. Objectives: The study was undertaken to screen for bacterial biofilm production in plantar ulcers in leprosy and to examine the correlation between antibiotic resistance in biofilm-producers and non-biofilm-producers. Methods: Leprosy patients with plantar ulcers who were registered for care in LEPRA-Blue Peter Public Health and Research Center, were enrolled. Isolation and identification of bacteria were performed, based on culture and standard bacterial identification methods. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was conducted using the disk diffusion test. Detection of biofilm production was carried out using the Congo Red method (CRA) and the Microtitre plate method (MTP). The pattern of antibiotic resistance exhibited by biofilm-producers was compared with non-biofilm-producers. Results: Out of 64 swabs tested for bacterial growth, 95.3% (61/64) were culture positive; of these, 90.1% (55/61) were mono-bacterial cultures. A total of 67 bacterial isolates were identified, 73% being gram-positive organisms and 27% being gramnegative. The most commonly isolated organism was S. aureus in 36/67 (53.7%), followed by P. aeruginosa in 8/67 (11.9%). A positive correlation between biofilm production and antibiotic resistance was observed. Conclusion: Biofilm producing bacterial isolates were widely distributed in plantar ulcers in leprosy patients; this suggests the need for further investigation into the correlation between biofilm on wounds with clinical outcomes of plantar ulceration. Keywords: Leprosy, plantar ulcer, biofilm, multi drug resistance
ISSN:2162-8807
0305-7518
2162-8807
DOI:10.47276/lr.91.2.130