Prevalence of biofilms on surgical suture segments in wounds of dogs, cats, and horses.
Authors: König L, Klopfleisch R, Kershaw O, Gruber A D
Journal: Veterinary pathology
Summary
Biofilm formation on surgical implants is well-documented in human medicine as a driver of chronic infection and impaired wound healing, yet remains poorly characterised in veterinary patients. König and colleagues examined 91 tissue samples from dogs, cats, and horses presenting with chronic wound complications, specifically looking for biofilms on suture material or wound swabs using multiple histological staining techniques (haematoxylin and eosin, Gram, Giemsa, and periodic acid-Schiff). Only two samples (2.2%) demonstrated bacterial colonies within an extracellular polymeric matrix consistent with true biofilm architecture, suggesting that whilst biofilm formation does occur in veterinary wounds, it may be less prevalent than anticipated or present in ways standard histological methods fail to detect. The findings imply that reliance on conventional bacterial culture—which the authors note produces unreliable results in biofilm contexts—likely underestimates the true frequency of this complication, and that histological examination may offer a more economical alternative for clinical investigation. For equine practitioners managing horses with recalcitrant surgical site infections or poor healing responses, this work underscores the potential role of biofilm-mediated infection and suggests that current diagnostic approaches may be missing cases, warranting consideration of biofilm-disrupting management strategies in problematic wounds.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Consider biofilm formation as a potential cause in chronic, non-responsive surgical site infections, though it appears uncommon in veterinary cases
- •Histopathologic examination may be more reliable than bacterial culture when investigating persistent post-operative wound complications
- •Suture-associated infections remain relevant to monitor, particularly in cases with ongoing inflammation despite appropriate antimicrobial therapy
Key Findings
- •Only 2 of 91 tissue samples (2.2%) with suture material showed biofilm formation consistent with bacterial colonies in extracellular polymeric matrix
- •Histologic examination using H&E, Gram, and Giemsa stains with PAS reaction proved more reliable than bacterial culture for detecting biofilms on suture material
- •Biofilm formation on surgical sutures occurs in veterinary patients (dogs, cats, and horses) but may be less prevalent than in human surgery literature suggests