Review of microbiological sampling in diabetic foot disease

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. Foot-related complications affect 2–2.5% of people with diabetes. There is significant variation in outcomes for patients with diabetic foot disease within the UK. The multidisciplinary approach to diabetic foot disease is well publicised and protocols, guidance and consensus approaches exist for most components of the management of diabetic foot disease. Antimicrobial therapy to treat diabetic foot infections based on microbiological sampling and culture is well documented, but no consensus exists on how these samples should be obtained, processed and reported. Methods: A literature review was undertaken to establish the reporting of techniques used in obtaining and processing microbiological samples in diabetic foot disease to establish if consensus exists in the methodologies used with a view to develop best practice guidelines. Results: Six out of 102 papers reported all processes in obtaining and processing microbiological samples. Conclusion: No gold standard consensus exists for microbiological sampling of diabetic foot infections, preventing optimisation of this aspect of management of diabetic foot disease and ultimately potentially adversely affecting the outcomes of this growing patient cohort.