Point-of-care fluorescence imaging predicts the presence of pathogenic bacteria in wounds: a clinical study

Bacteria in chronic wounds are invisible to the naked eye and can lead to delayed wound healing. Point-of-care bacterial fluorescence imaging illuminates a wound with 405nm light, triggering bacteria to produce red fluorescence and enabling real-time bacterial localisation. Prospective, single-blind clinical trials (clinicaltrials.gov #NCT02682069, #NCT03091361) were conducted to determine the positive predictive value (PPV) of this red fluorescence for detecting bacteria in chronic wounds.

Lower limb chronic wounds were imaged for bacterial fluorescence using the MolecuLight i:X imaging device. Regions positive for red fluorescence were discretely sampled using either biopsy or curettage to correlate red fluorescence signals to bacterial presence and analysed via gold standard quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) or via semi-quantitative culture analysis respectively.

A total of 60 lower limb chronic wounds were imaged. Quantitative PCR analysis of wound tissue biopsies obtained from regions of red fluorescence yielded a PPV of 100%. Total bacterial load in these areas was ≥10⁴ CFU/g. Semi-quantitative culture analysis of curettage scrapings from regions of red fluorescence yielded a PPV of 100%, with predominately moderate or heavy bacterial growth. There were nine distinct bacterial species detected, all common pathogens in chronic wounds. Staphylococcus aureus was the most prevalent species.

Bacterial fluorescence image-guided curettage or biopsy sampling positively predicts bacterial presence in wounds at potentially harmful levels, entirely eliminating the risk of false negative sampling. Fluorescence imaging of wounds offers clinicians real-time information on a wound's bacterial burden, insight which can influence treatment decisions at the point-of care.