Antimicrobial blue light as a biofilm management therapy at the skin‐implant interface in an ex vivo percutaneous osseointegrated implant model

Abstract

Biofilm contamination is often present at the skin‐implant interface of transfemoral osseointegrated implants leading to frequent infection, irritation, and discomfort. New biofilm management regimens are needed as the current standard of washing the site with soap and water is inadequate to manage infection rates. We investigated the potential of antimicrobial blue light, which has reduced risk of resistance development and broad antimicrobial mechanisms. Our lab developed an antimicrobial blue light (aBL) device uniquely designed for an ex vivo system based on an established ovine osseointegrated (OI) implant model with Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538 biofilms as initial inocula. Samples were irradiated with aBL or washed for three consecutive days after which they were quantified. Colony‐forming unit (CFU) counts were compared with a control group (bacterial inocula without treatment). After 1 day, aBL administered as a single 6 h dose or two 1 h doses spaced 6 h apart both reduced the CFU count by 1.63 log10 ± 0.02 CFU. Over 3 days of treatment, a positive aBL trend was observed with a maximum reduction of ~2.7 log10 CFU following 6 h of treatment, indicating a relation between multiple days of irradiation and greater CFU reductions. aBL was more effective at reducing the biofilm burden at the skin‐implant interface compared with the wash group, demonstrating the potential of aBL as a biofilm management option.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Mar 12, 2023
Source ID
10.1002/jor.25535

Entities

People

  • Alexa Nazarian
  • Brad M Isaacson
  • Dustin L Williams
  • Jemi Ong
  • Joshua Tam
  • Lynn Drake
  • Paul F Pasquina
  • Rose Godfrey

Organizations

  • Geneva Foundation
  • Harvard Medical School
  • Massachusetts General Hospital
  • Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
  • University of Utah
  • Walter Reed National Military Medical Center

Tags

Readers

  • Microbial Pathology
  • Rehabilitation and Prosthetic Care for Military Service Members and Veterans with Limb Loss or Disability.
  • Toxicology/Environmental Toxicology

Technology Areas

  • Biotechnology
  • Space
  • Space - Space Objects