Resistance of Synthetic and Biologic Surgical Meshes to Methicillin-Resistant Biofilm: An Investigation.

Surgical meshes have become the standard procedure for a variety of surgical applications with 20 million meshes being implanted each year. The popularity of mesh usage among surgeons is backed by the multiple studies that support its functionality as a tool for improving surgical outcomes. However, their use has also been associated with infectious surgical complications and many surgeons have turned to biologic meshes. While there have been several studies investigating synthetic meshes, there is limited data comparing synthetic and biologic meshes in an infection model. This study evaluates the susceptibility of both synthetic and biologic meshes to single-species methicillin-resistant (MRSA) biofilms. This research compares biofilm biomass, average thickness, and coverage between the three meshes through (FISH), confocal scanning microscopy (CSLM), and image analysis. We also report the varying levels of planktonic and attached bacteria through sonication and cfu counts. While the data illustrates increased biofilm formation on biologic mesh , the study must further be investigated to confirm the study observations.