What is it about?
P. acnes, the bacteria that causes us embarrassment as teenagers, is still our nemesis as shoulder surgeons. It can make a sticky biofilm, which makes it hard to eradicate. It can hang around in the joint for a long time, and then when it has proliferated sufficiently, it can cause well-functioning shoulder replacements to become stiff and painful.
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Why is it important?
There is controversy in the literature about the significance of P. acnes, and many questions left to answer. We continue to ask questions and test hypotheses to get closer to the truth about his clandestine skin bacterium.
Perspectives
This commentary points out the questions which surgeons and researchers still wrestle with and encourages the community to work towards a consensus definition of a prosthetic joint infection in the shoulder.
Dr Winston J Warme
University of Washington
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Definition of a “True” Periprosthetic Shoulder Infection Still Eludes Us, Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, July 2015, The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Inc.,
DOI: 10.2106/jbjs.o.00516.
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