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Bacterial diversity in surgical site infections: not just aerobic cocci any more

2009; Mark Allen Group; Volume: 18; Issue: 8 Linguagem: Inglês

10.12968/jowc.2009.18.8.43630

2052-2916

Randy Wolcott, Viktoria Gontcharova, Yao Sun, A. Zischakau, Scot E. Dowd,

Orthopedic Infections and Treatments

Objective: To evaluate the microbial diversity in chronic surgical site infections (SSIs). Method: Bacterial populations in 23 chronic SSIs were identified using bacterial tag-encoded FLX amplicon pyrosequencing (bTEFAP), which is an universal bacterial identification method. These results were then validated using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Results: bTEFAP identified two previously uncharacterised Bacteroidales in all of the SSIs and showed that it was the predominant population in the majority of these chronic wounds. Other bacteria identifi ed included Corynebacterium spp., Peptoniphilus spp., Staphylococcus spp., Staphylococcus aureus, Serratia marcescens, Prevotella spp. and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Rarefaction analysis of the data indicated that, on average, six genera occurred in any given SSI, suggesting that such infections are multispecies. On average, over 60% of the bacteria evaluated in the SSIs were anaerobic bacilli. The previous literature indicates that aerobic cocci predominate in such wounds. Conclusion: This modern molecular survey indicates that our previous understanding of which bacteria cause SSIs may be faulty. The high prevalence of anaerobic bacilli and the overwhelming predominance of two previously uncharacterised Bacteroidales suggest that such bacteria may be a leading contributor to such infections. Further research on the identification and treatment of such bacteria are warranted. Declaration of interest: Scott E. Dowd is director of a clinical molecular diagnostic company.