The microbiome of diabetic foot ulcers-a comparison of three single session debridement techniques

Debridement is used to remove infected and necrotic tissue from diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) to expose a cleaner ulcer bed.The aim of the study was to compare the microbiome of single session pre and post debridement samples of DFUs using 1. conservative sharp debridement 2. ultrasonic debridement and 3. surgical debridement. Swabs were used to collect samples before and after debridement. Samples were both traditionally cultured and sequenced using 16SrRNA gene sequencing. Increased abundance of bacteria in the microbiome of the DFU can be an indicator of non-healing. Determining the effect of three commonly used debridement methods on the abundance, richness and diversity of bacteria residing in the wound microbiome could be useful.