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Clinical Research
Chronic wounds are commonly colonized by diverse bacterial populations that complicate healing and increase the risk of infection. Negatively Charged Fiber (NCF) dressings are designed to reduce bacterial burden at the wound surface through slough removal and antimicrobial barrier properties; however, real-world data evaluating their microbial capture within the dressing remain limited. This exploratory observational study aimed to assess the ability of NCF dressings to capture and reduce bacterial load during routine clinical use. NCF dressings used during slough removal captured a broad spectrum of clinically relevant microorganisms, as identified by both culture and PCR methods. Frequently detected organisms and relative levels included Peptostreptococcus prevotii (Detected/Low), Enterococcus faecalis (High), Proteus mirabilis (Moderate), Staphylococcus aureus (High), Finegoldia magna (Peptostreptococcus magnus) (Moderate), Prevotella species (High), Corynebacterium species (High), Peptostreptococcus anaerobius (High), and Streptococcus agalactiae (Group B) (High). Detection of both facultative anaerobes and clinically significant organisms, including Staphylococcus aureus, supports the antimicrobial barrier effect of the dressing across a diverse wound microbiome. These findings support the hypothesis that NCF dressings effectively reduce bacterial load during routine clinical use by capturing and/or inactivating wound-associated microorganisms within the dressing matrix. Beyond de-sloughing and cleansing, the dressing demonstrated potential utility as a non-invasive tool for microbial surveillance in chronic wounds. Although bacterial cell surfaces are typically negatively charged—suggesting potential electrostatic repulsion from negatively charged fibers—the NCF matrix adheres strongly to slough, which is generally positively charged and serves as the primary reservoir for bacterial colonization. Consequently, effective slough removal facilitates concurrent reduction of bacterial burden, highlighting the dual mechanical and antimicrobial benefits of NCF dressings.
Methods: NCF dressings were applied per instructions for use over a two-week treatment period, with dressing changes performed as clinically indicated. At Week 2, used dressings were collected and submitted to two independent laboratories for complementary microbiological analyses. One laboratory conducted culture-based testing to identify viable bacterial organisms, while the second laboratory performed PCR-based testing to detect both viable and non-viable bacterial DNA. This dual-modality approach enabled differentiation between organisms persisting as recoverable viable bacteria and those reduced or inactivated following real-world contact with the silver-containing dressing.
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