title: Implant-related infection model in rat spine.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The rate of postoperative infections is approximately 1% in spine surgery. However, when metal implants are used, postoperative infection rates significantly increase and were reported between 2.1 and 8.5%. This study aim to set up an infection model in the rat spine with a metal implant.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty white male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided in four groups. In all rats, under operation microscope, a 3 mm titanium microscrew was implanted in the thoracolumbar area (T10-L1) after laminar decortication. In Group I (control group), sterile isotonic solution and in other three groups, different concentrations of Staphylococcus aureus [Group II: (10(2)), Group III: (10(3)), Group IV: (10(6))] were squirted on the decorticated lamina site. All animals were sacrificed after 2 weeks, and then blood cultures and cultures from fascia, muscle and bone were obtained. Bacterial number in each tissue was measured as colony-forming unit per gram tissue. Titanium microscrews were placed in 0.5 ml tryptic soy broth and vortexed than plated on trypticase soy agar to determine bacterial growth. Two animals from each group were subjected to histological examination.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Blood cultures obtained by intra-atrial puncture after 2 weeks were negative in all groups indicating no systemical infection developed. Bacterial cultures were negative in all specimens of Group I (control group). A significant osseous infection was confirmed in Groups II, III and IV. Comparison of bacterial counts in bone cultures showed no significant difference between Group III (10(3) CFU/10 microl) and Group IV (10(6) CFU/10 microl) (P > 0.05), while both groups had significantly higher counts than Group II (10(2) CFU/10 microl) (P > 0.05). Microscopic findings of supurrative inflammation were present only in Group IV (10(6) CFU/10 microl).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study shows that inoculation of S. aureus in 10(6) CFU/10 microl concentration at the decorticated lamina after implantation of a titanium screw in rat spine is a reproducible model for spinal infection and can be used for the animal model of prophylaxis and treatment and of postoperative infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Bakirkoy Hospital for Psychiatric and Neurological Diseases, Istanbul, Turkey. enderofluoglu@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Ender Ali
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Ofluoglu
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zileli
authors.forename: Derya
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Aydin
authors.forename: Yakup Sancar
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Baris
authors.forename: Omer
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kuçukbasmaci
authors.forename: Nevriye
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gonullu
authors.forename: Onder
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ofluoglu
authors.forename: Halil
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Toplamaoglu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001863:Bone Screws; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D008297:Male; D023421:Models, Animal; D010019:Osteomyelitis / Q000382:microbiology*; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013131:Spine / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000601:surgery; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000254:growth & development*; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000382:microbiology*; D014025:Titanium
chemical_list: D014025:Titanium