Note: This may be canceled due to weather.
Speaker: Noreen J. Hickok, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Departments of Orthopaedic Surgery and
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Thomas Jefferson University
Talk Title: “Orthopaedic Implants and Infection: Surfaces, Synovial Fluid, and the Joint Environment”
Time: 12:15 – 1:15 p.m., Thursday, February 9, 2017
Location: EG053 (seminar room near the G-level entrance of the Academic Research Building at the Health Center)
Abstract: Implant biofilms have long been assumed to cause antibiotic recalcitrance in joint infections, necessitating implant replacement. Equally, because the joint can be filled with bacteria (sometimes apparent as a pus-filled joint space), extensive lavage and debridement procedures are performed. Finally, because the bone can harbor additional pathogens, aggressive local and systemic antibiotic treatments are critical. Each of these treatments, while addressing presumed sites of infection results in bone loss, prolonged disability, and extended use of antibiotics. We have designed a series of antibacterial implants that have inhibited bacterial colonization in an orthopaedic model of periprosthetic infection. However, synovial fluid (SynF) also influences the recalcitrance of biofilm bacteria to antibiotics. In human SynF, Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), and Staphylococcus epidermidis (S. epidermidis), pathogens common in PJI, form floating and adherent biofilms that are incorporated into a stable, cross-linked, proteinaceous matrix that is then covered with biofilm polysaccharides. This cross-linked bacterial aggregate/biofilm is recalcitrant to antibiotic treatment and resistant to treatment with biofilm dispersing agents. Together, our data emphasize the importance of considering the different components of the orthopaedic environment when devising anti-bacterial strategies.
For more information, contact: Institute for Regenerative Engineering at x4086