Biofilms: do they affect wound healing?

Biofilms are known to exist in wounds, and it is suspected that their presence may delay wound healing, especially in chronic wounds; however, the evidence to support or refute this is not yet conclusive. This literature review has found that there is some evidence, both in vitro and in vivo, that the extracellular polysaccharide (EPS) matrix protects the biofilm from some inflammatory processes key to wound healing. The mechanisms of these effects and how this translates into clinical practice are still unknown. Strategies to manage biofilms within wounds are being investigated and may include use of silver, surgical debridedment, antibiotics and quorum-sensing inhibitors but no firm conclusions can yet be drawn from these studies. In conclusion, while there is a growing body of evidence to suggest that biofilms do indeed influence aspects of wound healing, there is still a large gap in our understanding of how this affects the wounds of clinical patients or how to improve rates of healing.