We present the first reported case of prosthetic joint infection caused by Trueperella pyogenes. This animal pathogen rarely causes human infection. Our patient was successfully treated with single-stage exchange and 12 weeks of rifampicin and moxifloxacin.

We report on a patient with septic arthritis of the knee with Pantoea agglomerans after a penetrating black locust thorn injury. Antibiotics alone or in combination with an arthroscopy may be insufficient for achieving source control. Accurate medical history and open debridement with a search for a thorn fragment are key to successful treatment. This publication includes a thorough literature review which analyses the outcome of all reported cases worldwide.

This stepwise quality improvement project sought to reduce unnecessary preoperative testing for asymptomatic bacteriuria prior to elective arthroplasty. A new guideline removing routine urine testing from preoperative assessment was successfully implemented and there was a sustained reduction in the number of unnecessary preoperative urine cultures performed. This study is useful to other centres as an example of how implementation methodology can be used to challenge outdated clinical practice.

Chronic bone infections often present with major bone and soft tissue loss which can be difficult to manage. In this study, we treated the most complex infections using surgery which reconstructed all of the tissues in one operation. We showed that this was a safe approach with very good outcomes. All of the bones healed and 96.5 % of patients were infection-free at final follow-up. This type of surgery requires close cooperation of a multidisciplinary team with expertise in major infections.