COLONIZATION OF SKIN BY HELCOCOCCUS-KUNZII

In order to investigate the role of Helcococcus kunzii as a colonizer of skin and as a possible participant in diabetic foot ulcers, we used a selective medium to culture both lower-and upper-extremity skin fro m a study group of podiatry patients (60 diabetics and 60 nondiabetics ) and a control group of 50 healthy volunteers. Although differences i n colonization were not statistically significant, a trend toward high er colonization rates in the group of podiatry patients was noted. H. kunzii appears to preferentially colonize the skin of the feet, and wh ile its pathogenic role in diabetic foot ulcers is difficult to establ ish, it may be a previously unrecognized component of the polymicrobia l flora characteristically isolated from patients with these infection s.