(LR-035) The Antimicrobial Effects of a Standard-Issue Copper-Based Antimicrobial Military Wound Dressing to Reduce Bioburden in a 2nd Degree Burn Porcine Wound Model

Joel Gil, BS – Sr. Manager, Research Laboratory, Dr. Phillip Frost Department of Dermatology & Cutaneous Surgery, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine. Dr. Phillip Frost Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery; Ryan Strong, BS – Research Associate, Dr. Phillip Frost Department of Dermatology & Cutaneous Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine; Roger Cassagnol, BS – Research Assistant, Dr. Phillip Frost Department of Dermatology & Cutaneous Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine; Jie Li, PhD – Associate Professor, Dr. Phillip Frost Department of Dermatology & Cutaneous Surgery, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine. Dr. Phillip Frost Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery; Aaron Strickland, PhD – VP R&D and Co-Founder, iFyber, LLC; Stephen Davis, BS – Research Professor, Dr. Phillip Frost Department of Dermatology & Cutaneous Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine

Introduction:

The most common burns clinically are second-degree burns, that need to be managed to prevent infection.¹ Copper has been used for centuries to treat wounds due to its’s antimicrobial activity against various pathogens. ^2,3 Studies have also shown copper can enhance wound healing and reduce bioburden on second-degree burn wounds.⁴ The present study was performed to investigate the antimicrobial activity of two novel copper dressings to reduce Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Acinetobacter baumannii bioburden using an infected second degree burn wound porcine model.^5,6

Methods:

Forty eight (48) 2^nd degree burn wounds (8.5 mm diameter) were created on each of four animals and immediately inoculated with either methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA USA300) or Acinetobacter baumannii ATCC19606 (AB19606). Six wounds on each animal were treated with either (A) Copper-based wound dressings [CWD]*, (B) Cu-Dressing Formulation 1, (C) Cu-Dressing Formulation 2, (D) Vehicle Control 1, (E) Vehicle Control 2, or (F) Untreated Control, then covered with polyurethane film. All dressings were applied on day 0 and day 3. On days 3 and 6 after treatment application wounds were recovered for bioburden counts.

Results:

Both Cu-Dressing Formulations significantly (p ≤0.05) reduced over 95% of MRSA USA300 and AB19606 at all timepoints when compared to Untreated Control. Compared to all treatment groups, Cu-Dressing Formulation 1 exhibited the lowest (p≤0.05) bacterial counts on Day 6 against both pathogens. Throughout the study both Cu-Dressings significantly reduced (p≤0.05) MRSA USA300 and AB19606 comparative to CWD. Cu-Dressing Formulation 1 exhibited significant differences (p≤0.05) of 2.25±0.44 Log CFU/g (99.44% of reduction) for MRSA USA300 and 1.71±0.07 Log CFU/g (98.06% reduction) for AB19606 on day 6 compared to Untreated Control wounds. All treatments against both microorganisms established significative microbial reductions (p≤0.05) between both assessment days with the most acknowledged from the Cu-Dressings.

Discussion: Cu-Dressing Formulations demonstrated superior efficacy on both tested pathogens, exhibiting significant antimicrobial activity within infected 2nd degree burn wounds. These findings encourage further development and investigation of copper therapies as a promising, novel treatment approach for burn wound infections in patients.