Diagnosis of prosthetic joint infection by use of PCR-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

Abstract

We compared PCR-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (PCR-ESI/MS) to culture using sonicate fluid from 431 subjects with explanted knee (n=270) or hip (n=161) prostheses. Of these, 152 and 279 subjects had prosthetic joint infection (PJI) and aseptic failure, respectively. The sensitivities for detecting PJI were 77.6% for PCR-ESI/MS and 69.7% for culture (P=0.0105). The specificities were 93.5 and 99.3%, respectively (P=0.0002). Copyright © 2014, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.