Open AccessActive rheumatoid arthritis in a mouse model is not an independent risk factor for periprosthetic joint infection
Author(s) -
Rishi Trikha,
Danielle Greig,
Troy Sekimura,
Nicolas Cevallos,
Benjamin Kelley,
Zeinab Mamouei,
Christopher Hart,
Micah Ralston,
Amr Turkmani,
Adam Sassoon,
Alexandra I. Stavrakis,
Nicholas M. Bernthal
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0250910
Subject(s) - periprosthetic , medicine , rheumatoid arthritis , staphylococcus aureus , in vivo , ex vivo , arthritis , staphylococcal infections , implant , immunology , arthroplasty , surgery , gastroenterology , biology , bacteria , microbiology and biotechnology , genetics
Periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) represents a devastating complication of total joint arthroplasty associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Literature suggests a possible higher incidence of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). There is, however, no consensus on this purported risk nor a well-defined mechanism. This study investigates how collagen-induced arthritis (CIA), a validated animal model of RA, impacts infectious burden in a well-established model of PJI. Methods Control mice were compared against CIA mice. Whole blood samples were collected to quantify systemic IgG levels via ELISA. Ex vivo respiratory burst function was measured via dihydrorhodamine assay. Ex vivo Staphylococcus aureus Xen36 burden was measured directly via colony forming unit (CFU) counts and crystal violet assay to assess biofilm formation. In vivo , surgical placement of a titanium implant through the knee joint and inoculation with S . aureus Xen36 was performed. Bacterial burden was then quantified by longitudinal bioluminescent imaging. Results Mice with CIA demonstrated significantly higher levels of systemic IgG compared with control mice (p = 0.003). Ex vivo , there was no significant difference in respiratory burst function (p = 0.89) or S . aureus bacterial burden as measured by CFU counts (p = 0.91) and crystal violet assay (p = 0.96). In vivo , no significant difference in bacterial bioluminescence between groups was found at all postoperative time points. CFU counts of both the implant and the peri-implant tissue were not significantly different between groups (p = 0.82 and 0.80, respectively). Conclusion This study demonstrated no significant difference in S . aureus infectious burden between mice with CIA and control mice. These results suggest that untreated, active RA may not represent a significant intrinsic risk factor for PJI, however further mechanistic translational and clinical studies are warranted.