New diagnostic techniques for diagnosing facture-related infections

Ada Hoffmann; Jörgen Hoffmann; Tamara Ruegamer; Norma Jung; Ronald Man Yeung Wong; Volker Alt; Peer Eysel; Jonathan Jantsch

doi:10.1016/j.injury.2024.111898

New diagnostic techniques for diagnosing facture-related infections

Injury. 2024 Nov:55 Suppl 6:111898. doi: 10.1016/j.injury.2024.111898.

Authors

Ada Hoffmann¹, Jörgen Hoffmann², Tamara Ruegamer¹, Norma Jung³, Ronald Man Yeung Wong⁴, Volker Alt⁵, Peer Eysel², Jonathan Jantsch⁶

Affiliations

¹ Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology, and Hygiene, University Hospital Cologne and Faculty of Medicine, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
² Department for Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University Hospital of Cologne, Joseph-Stelzmann Strasse 24, 50931 Cologne, Germany.
³ Department I of Internal Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Medical Faculty, University Hospital of Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
⁴ Department of Orthopaedics & Traumatology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
⁵ Department of Trauma Surgery, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.
⁶ Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology, and Hygiene, University Hospital Cologne and Faculty of Medicine, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany; Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany. Electronic address: Jonathan.Jantsch@uk-koeln.de.

PMID: 39482031
DOI: 10.1016/j.injury.2024.111898

Abstract

The diagnosis of fracture-related infections (FRI) is challenging and requires interdisciplinary efforts. Many diagnostic approaches are based on the algorithms established for prosthetic joint infections (PJI). Data specific to FRI are limited. Microbiological diagnostics include tissue culture, sonication, and molecular methods. Novel metagenomic analyses are increasingly being used in clinical diagnostic practice. In addition to bacterial detection, the study of host tissue factors has the potential to transform the diagnostics of FRI by facilitating the assesment of clinical significance in clinical samples. The integration of host tissue analysis into microbiology reports has great potential to improve the diagnosis of FRI. This mini-review describes the potential improvement of diagnostic techniques by integrating new approaches into the diagnostic algorithm of fracture-related infections.

Keywords: Culture; Fracture-related infection; Host factors; Mircobiological diagnostics; Sonication.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Algorithms
Fractures, Bone
Humans
Metagenomics / methods
Prosthesis-Related Infections* / diagnosis
Prosthesis-Related Infections* / microbiology