There are many important reasons for keeping cuts and sores clean, but new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania shows that a certain bug, Alcaligenes faecalis (A. faecalis), can facilitate healing of hard-to-treat wounds among people with diabetes . While there are many studies done on potentially harmful bacteria in wounds, the researchers discovered that A.
faecalis , a bacterium found in many types of chronic wounds, actually boosts healing of diabetic wounds. The researchers found that the beneficial bacterium can promote skin cell movements that are essential for wound closure by inhibiting enzymes that are over-produced in people with diabetes. The findings are published in Science Advances , led by Penn's Elizabeth Grice, PhD, the Sandra J.
Lazarus Professor in Dermatology, and Ellen K. White, an MD-PhD student at Penn. The team says that uncovering the mechanisms behind how A.
faecalis boosts healing could help scientists find new treatments for diabetic wounds. This research builds heavily on our previous research where we profiled the bacteria found in diabetic foot ulcers over time and studied how these bacteria influence healing outcomes. We did not expect to find that a bacterium would be able to promote healing, but this surprising finding motivated further studies of A.
faecalis ." Elizabeth Grice, PhD, University of Pennsylvania Chronic wounds, categorized by sores, ulcers, or lacerations that fail to heal or heal ver.