We are grateful to Dr. Lipsky (1) for his useful comments and entirely agree that there is a need to develop new ways to eradicate methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) colonization and infection.
With regard to Dr. Lipsky’s queries, treatment with the Biogun was directed at clinically uninfected diabetic foot ulcers with MRSA colonization. The Biogun probe was placed 2–10 mm above the ulcer surface and was moved across the ulcer surface at a speed of not <60 s/cm2. During treatment, the Biogun probe did not come into contact with the ulcer surface (2).
All patients in the study had MRSA swabs taken from the hairline, nostril, throat, axilla, and perineum, and when positive they received appropriate treatment as per our hospital protocol (initially 5 days, then 10 days, and then 15 days of Tisept shampoo, Oilatum Plus for bath/shower, Bactroban nasal ointment, and Corsydyl mouthwash). There was no difference in the MRSA colonization of the nonulcer sites in those that were successfully treated with the Biogun compared to those that failed to be cleared. During the study, none of the patients received any systemic or topical antimicrobial as they had clinically uninfected ulcers (2).
