Diabetic wound infection: A review on microbial population and infection control

Abstract

A diabetic foot ulcer is one of the major complications of diabetes and it leads to lower extremity amputation in patients. This review explores the current research on microbial populations on diabetic wounds, and also treatment alternatives to combat the infection on chronic diabetic wounds. The microbial communities exist in diabetic wound infection are diverse. Microbes rarely survived in single species of planktonic cells. They usually exist in a complex polymicrobial biofilm population which consists of different types of microorganisms. Furthermore, the development of bacterial biofilm on the wound that usually consists of multidrug-resistant pathogens also delayed the wound healing. To overcome this problem, many types of modern wound dressing were developed including hydrocolloid, hydrogel, alginate and collagen wound dressing. Besides, modern biotechnological advancements such as cell therapy, bioengineered skin, dermal scaffolds, tissue-engineered artificial skin and growth factors were also employed to promote the recovery of the wound. In conclusion, diabetes mellitus is a major health care challenge worldwide. Diabetic patients are at risk for developing foot ulcer which ultimately leads to amputation; hence a safe and effective alternative treatment is required to improve diabetic patients’ quality life.