Ulcer secretion was gathered from ten patients (8 women, 44–89 years of age, median 76 years old) with chronic leg ulcers that had been stable for at least 6 months. The etiologies of the ulcers were venous insufficiency or a combined venous and mild arterial insufficiency determined by clinical judgment and physiological measurements, i.e., toe and ankle pressure measurements. Cultures from the ulcers revealed growth of several species of bacteria; S. aureus, Enterobacter cloacae, P. aeruginosa, E. fecalis, and Proteus mirabilis. Skin biopsies were taken from the left arm of nine healthy volunteers (all women, 40–60 years of age, median: 54 years) and were used as controls. The ulcer secretion was collected within 24 h after injury and the cultures from these healthy controls were negative. Ulcer secretions were also collected from 5 patients within 2 weeks of operation for breast cancer without any signs of metastasis (all women, 31–85 years of age, median 64 years). Cultures revealed growth of S. aureus in two cases and were negative in the rest of these patients.