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Sequence types of Staphylococcus epidermidis associated with prosthetic joint infections are not present in the

Emeli Månsson1,2, Bengt Hellmark3, Martin Sundqvist1

  • 1Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden.

APMIS : Acta Pathologica, Microbiologica, Et Immunologica Scandinavica
|May 9, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Airborne Staphylococcus epidermidis in operating rooms did not contain the multi-drug resistant strains linked to prosthetic joint infections (PJIs). This suggests PJIs are not acquired through airborne transmission during surgery.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Surgical Site Infections

Background:

  • Prosthetic joint infections (PJIs) are often caused by healthcare-associated Staphylococcus epidermidis.
  • Specific multi-drug resistant sequence types (ST2, ST215) are common in PJIs.
  • The transmission route for these nosocomial strains remains unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the presence of PJI-associated Staphylococcus epidermidis sequence types in the operating room air during prosthetic joint surgery.

Main Methods:

  • Air sampling during 17 hip/knee arthroplasties.
  • Species identification using MALDI-TOF MS and 16S rRNA gene analysis.
  • Molecular characterization of S. epidermidis isolates via MLST and antibiotic susceptibility testing.

Main Results:

  • 32 S. epidermidis isolates were identified among 735 total isolates.
  • 18 different sequence types of S. epidermidis were found.
  • Neither ST2 nor ST215, common in PJIs, was detected in the airborne samples.

Conclusions:

  • The study did not find nosocomial S. epidermidis sequence types associated with PJIs in the operating room air.
  • Airborne transmission is unlikely to be the primary route for acquiring these specific PJI strains.
  • Further research into alternative inoculation routes for PJI pathogens is warranted.
Keywords:
ST2ST215Staphylococcus epidermidisairborne transmissionprosthetic joint infections

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