An Update About Molecular Biology Techniques To Detect Orthopaedic Implant-Related Infections

Despite different criteria to diagnose a prosthetic joint infection (PJI), aetiological diagnosis of the causing microorganism remains essential to guide treatment.Molecular-biology-based PJI diagnosis is progressing (faster, higher specificity) in different techniques, from the experimental laboratory into clinical use.Multiplex polymerase chain reaction techniques (custommade or commercial) provide satisfactory results in clinical series of cases, with specificity close to 100% and sensitivity over 70-80%.Next-generation metagenomics may increase sensitivity while maintaining high specificity.Molecular biology techniques may represent, in the next five years, a significant transformation of the currently available microbiological diagnosis in PJI.