Articles | Volume 11, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/jbji-11-161-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/jbji-11-161-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Original full-length article
| 
12 Mar 2026
Original full-length article |
| 12 Mar 2026
| 12 Mar 2026
Combined analysis of host immune response, biofilm genes, and 16S rRNA detection in fracture-related infection: an observational cohort study
Melissa Depypere
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of laboratory medicine, University Hospitals Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Laboratory of Clinical Bacteriology and Mycology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
Jonathan Sliepen
Department of Trauma Surgery, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
Jolien Onsea
Department of Trauma Surgery, University Hospitals Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
Department of Development and Regeneration, KU Leuven – University of Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
Yves Debaveye
Department of Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
T. Fintan Moriarty
AO Research Institute Davos, Davos, Switzerland
Elena Della Bella
AO Research Institute Davos, Davos, Switzerland
Emmanuel André
Department of laboratory medicine, University Hospitals Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Laboratory of Clinical Bacteriology and Mycology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
Johan Van Weyenbergh
Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Laboratory of Clinical and Epidemiological Virology, Rega Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
Willem-Jan Metsemakers
Department of Trauma Surgery, University Hospitals Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
Department of Development and Regeneration, KU Leuven – University of Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
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Short summary
The aim of this proof-of-concept study was to investigate host immune gene expression through transcriptome profiling in patients with fracture-related infection and to explore the feasibility of detecting 16S rRNA and biofilm-associated genes, an approach not previously applied using this method. This technique revealed distinct immune activation patterns in fracture-related infection (FRI) and enabled the identification of pathogens that were missed by conventional culture techniques.
The aim of this proof-of-concept study was to investigate host immune gene expression through...
