Hydrophobized wound dressing in the treatment of experimental Staphylococcus aureus infections in the young pig

Standard wounds (2 X 2 cm) produced with a dermatome, followed by a thermal injury in four-week-old piglets were inoculated with Staphylococcus aureus strains. Infection developed in each wound within a few days. Wounds were then dressed separately with cellulose dressing or the same dressing substituted with a hydrophobic ligand (stearylic acid). Other wounds were treated with active charcoal dressing (ActisorbR) or DebrisanR. Signs of healing, including vanishing of inflammation around the wounds, were noticed already on days 3 and 4 in the wounds treated with the hydrophobized dressing, and no infection was noticed in such wounds on days 5 to 6, while all other wounds were still showing signs of infection. It is concluded that active removal of S. aureus cells in the hydrophobized dressing probably decreases the number of multiplying bacteria in wounds, causing a rapid onset of wound healing.