Diagnosis of prosthetic joint infections using UMD-Universal Kit and the automated multiplex-PCR Unyvero i60 ITI(®) cartridge system: a pilot study.

Background: Prosthetic joint infections (PJI) are associated with high morbidity and costs. Various efforts have been made to improve the diagnosis of PJI over the past years, but only few studies have assessed the diagnostic utility of nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) techniques in this context. Here, we report our experience with a commercial 16S rRNA gene PCR and an automated multiplex-PCR cartridge system in identifying pathogens causing PJI.

Effect of in situ expression of human interleukin-6 on antibody responses against Salmonella typhimurium antigens.

In an attempt to trigger increased mucosal secretory immune responses against bacterial surface antigens, we constructed an optimized human interleukin (hIL)-6-secreting Salmonella typhimurium strain (X4064(pCH1A+pYL3E)), utilizing the hemolysin (Hly) exporter for secretory delivery of a functional hIL-6-hemolysin fusion protein (hIL-6-HlyA(s)). Through stable introduction of a second hIL-6-HlyA(s) expression plasmid (pYL3E) in the previously described X4064(pCH1A) strain, hIL-6-HlyA(s) secretion efficiencies were increased by at least 10-fold. As pCH1A in the parental strain, pYL3E was stable in vitro in the absence of antibiotic selection and in vivo neither did plasmids interfere in their stabilities.