OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effect of Phlogenzym, an enzyme preparation, on the biofilm formation ability of clinical bacterial strains isolated from postoperative wound discharge.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Fifty-seven bacterial strains were collected from the discharge of patients’ postoperative wounds. The biofilm-forming ability was assessed using a U-shaped well plate with 96 wells, following a previously described method. The interaction of Phlogenzym with antibiotics, including cefotaxime, amikacin, and gentamicin, was also evaluated. The antibiotics were added to the growing cultures in a doubly diluted medium, both with and without Phlogenzym. After culturing for 18 hours at 37 °C, the colony-forming units (CFU) were counted by seeding 10 μl of the nutrient medium containing the grown microorganisms onto Muller—Hinton agar plates.

RESULTS

Of the 21 strains with pronounced film-forming activity, 85.7% (18 out of 21) of the OP decreased under the action of Phlogenzyme. The average OP of the biofilm without the drug was M1=0.19±0.09, while with the addition of Phlogenzym, it became M2=0.12±0.07 (p=0.022, paired t-test).The addition of Phlogenzym to cefotaxime, amikacin, and gentamicin resulted in a significant decrease in CFU/mL for all E. coli strains studied, compared to the use of antibiotics without Phlogenzym. In a culture medium without Phloghezyme, the median CFU/mL values were 113.1 for cefotaxime, 110.2 for amikacin, and 108.4 for gentamicin. However, when Phlogenzym was added, these values decreased to 7.1, 5.3, and 5.2 CFU/mL, respectively (p<0.05).

CONCLUSION

The enzyme preparation, Phlogenzym, significantly reduces the ability of bacterial cells to form films in surgical wounds, reducing the risk of chronic infection and recurrence. Additionally, it enhances the effectiveness of antibiotics in eradicating pathogens and has an anti-inflammatory effect. Phlogenzym also increases the efficacy of beta-lactam and aminoglycoside antibiotics.