Bacterial DNA screening to characterize surgical site infection risk in orthopaedic patients.

Abstract Purpose To provide an initial characterization of relevant bacterial DNA profiles for patients undergoing closed-fracture fixation or total joint arthroplasties. Patients and methods Swabs were collected and analyzed using Polymerase Chain Reaction from adult patients undergoing closed-fracture fixation or total shoulder, knee, or hip arthroplasties. Results Bacterial DNA profiles varied across the different orthopaedic patient populations, and produced uncharacteristic profile shifts with direct relevance to each clinical infection. Conclusion Findings provide a foundational dataset regarding bacterial colonization of relevant anatomic sites that can act as sources of surgical site infections for patients.