Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 24, 2026

Time-Lapse Epifluorescence Microscopy Imaging of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus Heterogeneous Phenotypes
Published on: February 14, 2025
Genotypic and phenotypic characterization of Staphylococcus epidermidis causing chronic relapsing prosthetic joint
Benoît Henry1, Stéphane Corvec, Lise Crémet
1Service de Bactériologie-Hygiène, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nantes, Nantes, France.
Abstract:
Twenty-one isolates of Staphylococcus epidermidis from 9 patients with persistent prosthetic joint infections were analysed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and antibiotic susceptibility assays. In 7 of these cases, the S. epidermidis isolate was different from that of the initial episode. In 1 further case, the superinfection was polyclonal. Recurrence, i.e., renewed isolation of a clone identical to that of an initial episode, occurred in 3 cases, 1 of which was in the absence of superinfection. A high degree of antibiotic resistance was demonstrated, including methicillin in 17 of 21 strains. In conclusion, a frequent occurrence of superinfection and a high degree of resistance make management of these infections complex.
Related Concept Videos
Staphylococcal Skin Infections
Clinical Significance of Antibiotic Resistance
Mechanism of Antibiotic Resistance in MRSA
Atypical Pneumonia
Acute Pyelonephritis II: Diagnostic Studies and Management
Endocarditis II: Clinical Features of Infective Endocarditis
