title: Microbiology of the infected total joint arthroplasty.
abstract: Infection associated with arthroplasty is a relatively rare event, but when it does occur, it is of major consequence for the patient. Many organisms can cause these infections, but most are the results of gram-positive bacteria, with the genus Staphylococcus accounting for at least 50%. Streptococcus and aerobic gram-negative bacilli are responsible for another significant percentage. The ability of the organism to produce a slime or glycocalix extracellular layer seems to be a contributing virulence factor for prosthesis-associated infections. Growth, identification, and susceptibility testing of the etiologic agent are performed by the microbiology laboratory, but antimicrobial treatment is usually only successful after removal of the prosthesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI 48201, USA.
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Brown
mesh_terms: D018441:Biofilms; D006801:Humans; D007595:Joint Prosthesis / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000382:microbiology*; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D016459:Prosthesis-Related Infections / Q000382:microbiology*