Investigation of efficacy of antibiotics in diabetic foot infections
Research type
Research Study
Full title
How does the microbiome change in a diabetic foot infection after a week of treatment with antibiotics and is this change a result of the treatment?
IRAS ID
247018
Contact name
Bianca Price
Contact email
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 8 months, 21 days
Research summary
Upon presentation with an infected ulcer, diabetic patients are typically prescribed systemic antibiotics. Often, these antibiotics do not resolve the infection and this is speculated to be because insufficient concentrations of antibiotics reach the wound, although there is not much evidence available to prove this. This study is in collaboration with Robert Morley at Buxton Hospital and Withington Hospital. He will collect tissue from patients who present with diabetic foot infections, that is debrided during the normal treatment procedure on presentation of the patient with an infection, and then again after a week of treatment. Bacteria will be harvested from the tissue and for samples taken after treatment of antibiotics, a sample will be sent to assay the concentration of antibiotics in the tissue. In addition, after a week of treatment, the blood sample routinely taken from the patient will be sent off for an additional test to assay the concentration of antibiotics in the sample. Patients who have not yet received treatment for a diabetic foot infection will be eligible and we will recruit ten patients. For patients, the study will last over two successive visits to the clinic for their usual weekly appointment. There will be no changes to their usual treatment regime as this is a non-interventional observational study that will collect samples only. These data will provide insight on how the bacteria in the foot ulcer change in type and amount after a week of treatment with antibiotics and tests in the lab will show whether the bacteria in the wound are susceptible to antibiotics and if that changes after treatment of the patient with antibiotics.
REC name
Wales REC 6
REC reference
18/WA/0273
Date of REC Opinion
3 Aug 2018
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion