Abstract
This study aimed to develop and validate “the Imprint method,”, a technique for sampling microbes from chronic wounds while preserving their two-dimensional spatial organization. We used nylon filters to sample bacteria and compared with sampling using Eswabs in 12 patients. The Imprint method identified a mean of 0.93 unique species more than Eswab (4.3 ± 2.2 and 3.4 ± 1.4 unique species, respectively; mean ± SD; n = 30). Accuracy between the Eswab and the Imprint method was 93.2% and in cases of disagreement between methods, Imprint had a higher sensitivity in 6/8 of the most prevalent species. In vitro validation confirmed that the Imprint method could transfer bacterial colonies while replicating their two-dimensional organization and the area covered by bacteria on the plate sampled. Clinical testing demonstrated that the imprint method is a rapid and feasible technique that identified more unique bacterial species than Eswab with a good agreement between methods but that Imprint was better at detecting important pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The Imprint method is a novel technique that cultures and records the two-dimensional organization of microbes, providing an alternative or supplement to conventional surface culture using Eswab.
Originalsprog | Engelsk |
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Tidsskrift | APMIS |
Vol/bind | 132 |
Sider (fra-til) | 210-220 |
ISSN | 0903-4641 |
DOI | |
Status | Udgivet - 2024 |
Bibliografisk note
Funding Information:A huge thanks to the nurses and doctors at the Copenhagen Wound Healing Center, Bispebjerg Hospital for helping to facilitate the research project and for the patients offering their participation. Hospital workers and participants did not receive compensation for their participation. This project was funded by a grant from the Novo Nordisk Foundation Challenge Program (NNF19OC0056411).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Authors. APMIS published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Scandinavian Societies for Pathology, Medical Microbiology and Immunology.