Rapid detection of bacteria in periprosthetic joint infection via microfluidic qPCR chip

Zeyu Feng1, Qingyuan Zheng1, Pengcheng Li2

  • 1Department of Orthopaedics, General Hospital of Chinese People's Liberation Army, Beijing 100853, China; Senior Department of Orthopedics, Fourth Medical Center of People's Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing 100853, China.

Abstract

Insights

A new microfluidic chip significantly speeds up the detection of Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis in periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) patients, offering improved microbiological detection efficacy and faster results compared to traditional methods.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Medical Diagnostics
  • Biotechnology

Background:

  • Periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) diagnosis relies on accurate and timely microbiological detection.
  • Traditional methods like joint fluid culture have limitations in speed and sensitivity.
  • Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) offers faster results but can be time-consuming.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the microbiological detection efficacy of a novel microfluidic quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) platform.
  • To assess the turnaround time of the microfluidic platform for periprosthetic infection (PJI) patients.
  • To compare the microfluidic chip with joint fluid culture and traditional qPCR for detecting Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis.

Main Methods:

  • A study involving 310 patients (106 PJI, 204 aseptic failure) was conducted.
  • Microbiological detection efficacy and turnaround time were analyzed for joint fluid culture, qPCR, and the microfluidic chip.
  • Patients with Staphylococcus aureus or Staphylococcus epidermidis infections were included.

Main Results:

  • The microfluidic chip demonstrated a significantly shorter turnaround time (59.4 ± 4.2 min) compared to joint fluid culture (7011.3 ± 3013.0 min) and qPCR (131.7 ± 7.9 min).
  • The microfluidic chip effectively detected low bacterial loads of Staphylococcus aureus or Staphylococcus epidermidis.
  • Biomarkers like CRP, ESR, and synovial white blood cell counts were significantly higher in PJI patients.

Conclusions:

  • The microfluidic chip provides significant time advantages for microbiological detection in PJI patients.
  • This platform offers comparable or improved detection efficacy for Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis.
  • The microfluidic chip represents a promising advancement for rapid PJI diagnosis.