"Working with Mayo Clinic (Rochester, Minn.), we showed that these clays also diminish populations of bacterial biofilms, as well as ba

Fungal communities in chronic wounds appear to form mixed biofilms with bacteria, leading to poor patient outcomes and longer healing times, according to findings published in mBio (Sept. 6, 2016; 7(5):e1058–16). The authors followed 100 patients with non-healing diabetic foot ulcers over a period of 26 weeks or until the wound had either healed or required amputation. Deep wound fluid was sampled every two weeks and underwent genetic sequencing. Some 80% of the wounds were f