Joint Infection Syndromic Testing: An Advanced Tool for Better Diagnostic Stewardship in Joint Infections and for enhanced Antibiotic Stewardship

Abstract

Bone and joint infections encompass various human diseases such as septic arthritis, prosthetic joint infections, osteomyelitis, spinal infections, diabetic foot osteomyelitis. These conditions pose significant threats to health, contributing to morbidity and mortality. Diagnosis relies on clinical manifestations and identifying the causative microorganism. This study assesses the effectiveness of the BIOFIRE JI panel in detecting causative organisms, along with the automated culture method. The BIOFIRE JI panel demonstrated better pathogen identification, including the detection of resistance genes, compared to the automated culture. Early identification and concomitant detection of resistance genes marks the potential of BIOFIRE JI panel to enhance antibiotic stewardship and improve patient treatment outcomes.

Keywords:

Joint infection, synovial fluid, diagnostics, multiplex PCR, Film Array, species identification, resistance, antibiotic stewardship, syndromic panel PCR