Concordance between culture, Molecular Culture and Illumina 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing of bone and ulcer bed biopsies in people with diabetic foot osteomyelitis.

Background: In clinical practice the diagnosis of diabetic foot osteomyelitis (DFO) relies on cultures of bone or ulcer bed (UB) biopsies, of which bone biopsy is reference standard. The slow growth or fastidious nature of some bacteria, hamper expeditious detection and identification. Rapid molecular techniques may solve both issues, but their additional value for everyday practice is unknown.