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Comparison of synovial fluid culture and 16S rRNA PCR in dogs with suspected septic arthritis
Author(s) -
Scharf VF,
Lewis DD,
Wellehan JF,
Wamsley HL,
Richardson R
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
australian veterinary journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.382
H-Index - 59
eISSN - 1751-0813
pISSN - 0005-0423
DOI - 10.1111/avj.12329
Subject(s) - synovial fluid , septic arthritis , microbiological culture , medicine , arthritis , pathology , polymerase chain reaction , 16s ribosomal rna , biology , bacteria , osteoarthritis , biochemistry , alternative medicine , gene , genetics
Objective To prospectively compare the sensitivity and specificity of 16S rRNA PCR with culture for identifying the causative organism in synovial fluid obtained from dogs with suspected septic arthritis. Methods Synovial fluid cytology, PCR analysis and aerobic, anaerobic and Mycoplasma culture of samples from the affected joints of 18 dogs presenting with suspected septic arthritis were performed. Synovial fluid samples from the corresponding contralateral joints of 7 dogs were also analysed as negative controls. Results There was no significant difference between the sensitivity of bacterial detection via culture (63.2%) versus PCR (73.7%) of synovial fluid (P = 0.728) or between culture and combined PCR and culture (89.5%) of synovial fluid (P = 0.124). The specificity of PCR (42.9%) was significantly lower than culture specificity (100%) (P = 0.07). Conclusion Although 16S PCR may hold potential as an ancillary diagnostic test for identifying the causative organism in dogs with septic arthritis, our study failed to demonstrate improved accuracy compared with traditional synovial fluid culture.