Devices for improved wound management

The present invention provides devices and compositions for the management of infection of topical lesions, each of the devices and compositions containing protonated/acidified nucleic acids either on its surface, or integrated into the device. These modified nucleic acids are effective as bactericidal and/or bacteriostatic agents without regard to the class of bacteria, so are especially useful when diagnosis is difficult or when multiple infectious organisms are present. The antibiotic activity of nucleic acids of the invention is not dependent on either the specific sequence of the nucleic acid or the length of the nucleic acid molecule. The nucleic acids used in the invention are protonated/acidified to give a pH when dissolved in water of less than pH 7 to about 1, more preferably less than pH 4.5 to about 1, and even more preferably less than pH 2 to about 1.