Articles | Volume 10, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/jbji-10-437-2025
https://doi.org/10.5194/jbji-10-437-2025
Original full-length article
 | 
05 Nov 2025
Original full-length article |  | 05 Nov 2025

Rapid pathogen detection in synovial fluid of acute native joint infections in adults: a clinical evaluation of a novel automated multiplex polymerase chain reaction (mPCR) system

Lukas Rabitsch, Markus Luger, Felix Lötsch, Peter Starzengruber, Florian Thalhammer, Reinhard Windhager, Birgit Willinger, and Irene Katharina Sigmund

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Cited articles

Achermann, Y., Vogt, M., Leunig, M., Wust, J., and Trampuz, A.: Improved diagnosis of periprosthetic joint infection by multiplex PCR of sonication fluid from removed implants, J. Clin. Microbiol., 48, 1208–1214, https://doi.org/10.1128/jcm.00006-10, 2010. 
Aggarwal, D., Kanitkar, T., Narouz, M., Azadian, B. S., Moore, L. S. P., and Mughal, N.: Clinical utility and cost-effectiveness of bacterial 16S rRNA and targeted PCR based diagnostic testing in a UK microbiology laboratory network, Sci. Rep., 10, 7965, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-64739-1, 2020. 
Berinson, B., Spenke, L., Krivec, L., Tanida, K., Both, A., Keller, J., Rolvien, T., Christner, M., Lütgehetmann, M., Aepfelbacher, M., Klatte, T. O., and Rohde, H.: Performance and Hypothetical Impact on Joint Infection Management of the BioFire Joint Infection Panel: a Retrospective Analysis, J. Clini. Microbiol., 61, e0059223, https://doi.org/10.1128/jcm.00592-23, 2023. 
Borde, J. P., Hacker, G. A., Guschl, S., Serr, A., Danner, T., Hubner, J., Burrack-Lange, S., Ludke, G., Helwig, P., Hauschild, O., and Kern, W. V.: Diagnosis of prosthetic joint infections using UMD-Universal Kit and the automated multiplex-PCR Unyvero i60 ITI cartridge system: a pilot study, Infection, https://doi.org/10.1007/s15010-015-0796-4, 2015. 
Earwood, J. S., Walker, T. R., and Sue, G. J. C.: Septic Arthritis: Diagnosis and Treatment, Am. Fam. Phys., 104, 589–597, 2021. 
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Short summary
The novel multiplex polymerase chain reaction (mPCR), BioFire® Joint Infection Panel (BF-JIP; bioMérieux, Marcy-l’Étoile, France), demonstrated similar diagnostic accuracy to conventional synovial fluid culture and can therefore serve as a valuable adjunct in diagnosing septic arthritis in adults, particularly in patients with prior antimicrobial therapy.
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