Breast implant microbiome profile correlates with foreign body response severity

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Microbiology
• Implantology

Background:

• Biomedical implants improve quality of life but face long-term challenges.
• Severe foreign body response (FBR), including capsular contracture, impairs implant function.
• The role of implant surface bacteria in FBR severity lacked extensive human data.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between breast implant microbiome composition and FBR severity.
• To determine if bacterial colonization influences the foreign body response in patients without clinical infection.

Main Methods:

• Analyzed 339 explanted breast implants from 206 patients using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing.
• Characterized the bacterial communities present on the implant surfaces.
• Conducted within-patient analysis comparing unilateral severe vs. contralateral mild FBR.

Main Results:

• Detected diverse bacterial communities on explanted breast implants.
• Found increased relative abundance of Staphylococcus associated with severe FBR.
• Observed lower microbial diversity and higher Staphylococcus on implants with severe FBR compared to mild FBR.

Conclusions:

• Breast implant microbiome composition is significantly associated with FBR severity.
• Staphylococcus abundance may be a key factor in developing severe foreign body response.
• Findings suggest targeting the implant microbiome could improve implant biocompatibility and reduce complications.