Activity of Electrical Current in Experimental Propionibacterium acnes Foreign-Body Osteomyelitis.
Foreign-body-associated infections are often difficult to treat, given that the associated microorganisms are in a biofilm state. Previously, we showed that a low-amperage direct electrical current (DC) reduces Propionibacterium acnes biofilms formed on implant-associated materials in vitro In this study, low-amperage DC was compared to ceftriaxone treatment or no treatment in a novel rat femur model of foreign-body osteomyelitis. A platinum implant seeded with a P. acnes biofilm (107CFU/cm2) and 109CFU of planktonic P. acnes was placed in the femoral medullary cavity. One week later, rats were assigned to one of three treatment groups: no treatment, ceftriaxone treatment, or 200-μA-DC treatment. After 2 weeks of treatment, there were fewer bacteria in the bones of the ceftriaxone group (3.06 log10CFU/g of bone [P = 0.0209]) and the 200-μA-DC group (0.5 log10CFU/g [P = 0.0015]) than in those of the control group (6.58 log10CFU/g). The DC-exposed animals exhibited fewer bacteria than the ceftriaxone-treated animals (P = 0.0330). There were fewer bacteria on the implanted wires in the groups treated with ceftriaxone (0.1 log10CFU/cm2) or a 200-μA DC (0.1 log10CFU/cm2) than in the control group (2.53 log10CFU/cm2[P, 0.0003 for both comparisons]). Low-amperage DC may be useful for treating, or aiding in the treatment of, foreign-body infections caused by P. acnes.
Division of Clinical Microbiology, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.
Suzannah M
SM
Schmidt-Malan
Division of Clinical Microbiology, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.
Cassandra L
CL
Brinkman
Division of Clinical Microbiology, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.
Kerryl E
KE
Greenwood-Quaintance
Division of Clinical Microbiology, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.
Melissa J
MJ
Karau
Division of Biomedical Statistics and Informatics, Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.
Jayawant N
JN
Mandrekar
Division of Clinical Microbiology, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA patel.robin@mayo.edu.|Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.
Robin
R
Patel
D000818:Animals; D002443:Ceftriaxone / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D004599:Electric Stimulation Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005269:Femur; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000382:microbiology; D016908:Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010019:Osteomyelitis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology / Q000628:therapy*; D011425:Propionibacterium acnes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity; D017208:Rats, Wistar
D002443:Ceftriaxone
Propionibacterium acnes; direct electrical current; osteomyelitis