Investigation of the Microbiome of Chronic Diabetic Foot Wounds
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Investigation of the Microbiome of Chronic Diabetic Foot Wounds
IRAS ID
252342
Contact name
Anthony Coll
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Cambridge
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Foot ulcers will affect 1 in 15 people with diabetes. Once present, they can take a long time to heal and can lead to complications including hospital stays, surgery and amputation.
One of the major drivers of these problems is infection of the ulcer by bacteria, which prevent healing and, if left unchecked, go on to damage the underlying soft tissues and bones.
Our standard way of dealing with infection is to take a swab from the wound, culture the bacteria in the lab and then use the antibiotic which is most effective against the bugs we have identified. This approach often works well but we are increasingly aware of limitations in this approach.
Laboratory culture and search for antibiotic sensitivities can take up to a week. Also, the bacteria grown in culture may not necessarily be the one responsible for the infection in the foot. Together, these issues risk delaying the start of treatment and using unnecessarily broad-spectrum antibiotics. Antibiotics are also associated with allergies, upset stomach and nausea, potential admission to hospital and resistance in the bacteria.
In our study, we plan to take deeper samples from the infected area to give us the best chance of identifying the infecting organism. We will then analyse this sample using new technology that rapidly looks for the presence of bacterial DNA (“DNA Microarray”). This technique has the strong advantage in that there is no need to culture organisms in the lab and we can tell which are present on the same day the sample is taken. In addition, we can also get rapid information about the quantities of organisms present and their antibiotic sensitivities.
In this way we hope to get correct treatment started more quickly and thereby reduce unnecessary and costly incorrect use of antibiotics.REC name
East of England - Cambridge East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/EE/0349
Date of REC Opinion
2 Jul 2019
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion