The skin microbiome may be a bigger cause of post-operative wound infections than bacteria contaminating hospital equipment
By Chen Ly
10 April 2024
A scanning electron micrograph of Enterococcus faecalis bacteria, which can infect surgical wounds
Science Photo Library/Alamy
Surgical infections could primarily be caused by bacteria that already live on your skin, rather than via external contamination, according to a study of just over 200 people who underwent spinal procedures.
Hospitals tend to have strict hygiene standards, including sterilising surgical clothing and equipment, to prevent such problems, but one US study found 3 per cent of people who have an operation are affected.
Instead of coming from the hospital environment, many post-surgery infections could stem from an individual’s skin microbiome, says Dustin Long at the University of Washington in Seattle.
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To investigate that idea, Long and his colleagues collected skin swabs before and after 204 people underwent different types of spinal surgery.
Fourteen of the participants went on to develop wound infections. After analysing the microbes responsible, the team found that 12 of the cases involved bacteria that were already part of the individuals’ skin microbiomes before surgery.