Identification of yeast in chronic wounds using new pathogen-detection technologies

Area of Science:

• Medical Diagnostics
• Molecular Biology
• Mycology

Background:

• Chronic wound infections pose a significant challenge in patient care.
• Improved diagnostic tools are crucial for effective treatment of wound infections.
• Southwest Regional Wound Care Center collaborates with The Research and Testing Laboratory to advance wound care diagnostics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the efficacy of two novel molecular diagnostic methods for identifying yeast in chronic wound infections.
• To compare the performance of a quantitative PCR (qPCR) wound panel with fungal tag-encoded FLX amplicon pyrosequencing (fTEFAP).

Main Methods:

• Evaluation of three chronic wound samples suspected of yeast infection.
• Analysis of forty additional wound samples using qPCR, fTEFAP, and bacterial tag-encoded FLX amplicon pyrosequencing (bTEFAP).
• Comparison of detection capabilities, accuracy, and turnaround time for each method.

Main Results:

• The qPCR panel detected Candida albicans in two of three initial samples.
• fTEFAP identified yeast in all three initial samples, including Candida albicans and Candida parapsilosis, with additional detection of Candida tropicalis in one sample.
• fTEFAP provided a more comprehensive yeast profile than the targeted qPCR panel.
• qPCR results were available within two hours, while fTEFAP results took 24 hours.

Conclusions:

• Two new molecular methods, qPCR and fTEFAP, show promise for diagnosing yeast in chronic wounds.
• The qPCR wound panel offers rapid results but has a limited scope, targeting major pathogens.
• fTEFAP provides broader detection of bacterial and yeast species in chronic wound samples, albeit with a longer turnaround time.
• These methods enhance the diagnostic capabilities for practitioners managing chronic wound infections.