Veterinary microbiology
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Veterinary microbiology · May 2011
Microbiology of equine wounds and evidence of bacterial biofilms.
Horse wounds have a high risk of becoming infected due to their environment. Infected wounds harbour diverse populations of microorganisms, however in some cases these microorganisms can be difficult to identify and fail to respond to antibiotic treatment, resulting in chronic non-healing wounds. In human wounds this has been attributed to the ability of bacteria to survive in a biofilm phenotypic state. ⋯ The presence of biofilms in equine wounds partly explains the reluctance of many lower limb wounds to heal. Non-healing limb wounds in horses are a well documented welfare and economic concern. This knowledge can be used to shape future treatments in order to increase the healing rate and decrease the costs and suffering associate with equine wounds.