Coagulase-negative staphylococci isolated from sternal wound infections after cardiac surgery: attachment to and accumulation on sternal fixation stainless steel wires†

  1. EMMA OLSSON1,2,
  2. ÖRJAN FRIBERG3,
  3. NIKOLAOS VENIZELOS1,
  4. ANITA KOSKELA4,
  5. JAN KÄLLMAN5,
  6. BO SÖDERQUIST5,6,*

Article first published online: 5 FEB 2007

DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0463.2007.apm_559.x

Issue

APMIS

APMIS

Volume 115, Issue 2, pages 142–151, February 2007

Additional Information

How to Cite

OLSSON, E., FRIBERG, Ö., VENIZELOS, N., KOSKELA, A., KÄLLMAN, J. and SÖDERQUIST, B. (2007), Coagulase-negative staphylococci isolated from sternal wound infections after cardiac surgery: attachment to and accumulation on sternal fixation stainless steel wires. APMIS, 115: 142–151. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0463.2007.apm_559.x

Author Information

  1. 1

    Department of Clinical Medicine, Örebro University, Departments of

  2. 2

    Obstetrics and Gynecology, and

  3. 3

    Cardiothoracic Surgery, Örebro University Hospital,

  4. 4

    Clinical Research Centre, Örebro University Hospital, and Departments of

  5. 5

    Infectious Diseases, and

  6. 6

    Clinical Microbiology, Örebro University Hospital, Örebro, Sweden

*Bo Söderquist, Departments of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Örebro University Hospital, SE-70185 Örebro, Sweden. e-mail: bo.soderquist@orebroll.se

  1. †

    Received 13 July 2006.

    Accepted 16 October 2006.

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 5 FEB 2007
  2. Article first published online: 5 FEB 2007

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Keywords:

  • Bacterial adhesion;
  • biofilm;
  • in vitro test;
  • stainless steel;
  • staphylococcal infections

Sternal wound infection (SWI) is a serious complication after cardiac surgery. Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) have been found to be the most common pathogen involved in this postoperative infection related to implanted foreign materials, i.e. sternal fixation wires made from stainless steel. In this study a rapid and simple assay was developed for studying attachment and accumulation of CoNS on stainless steel wires in vitro using [3H] thymidine. The method showed a potential to detect differences in the dynamics of the adherence patterns among various CoNS isolates. However, no differences in attachment and accumulation were found between isolates causing deep SWI after cardiac surgery and contaminant isolates. In addition, there were no differences in the distribution of the ica operon between the two groups, as determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Nevertheless, the ability to produce biofilm was found to be present significantly more frequently among SWI isolates than among contaminants.

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