Challenges of Biofilm-Associated Bone and Joint Infections

Dear Colleagues,

The incidence of bone and joint infections is increasing owing to factors such as ageing of the global population, higher prevalence of patient comorbidities, and growing numbers of surgical procedures with the incorporation of foreign materials. However, appropriate diagnosis and treatment remains a challenge due to the presence of biofilms on implants. Bone and joint infections include sequelae such as septic arthritis, osteomyelitis, infections after fracture repair or after endoprosthetic replacement of a joint, and spinal infections. Although guidelines and recommendations exist, solid evidence is still lacking in many aspects of the diagnostic, preventive, and therapeutic framework. This also refers to the use of local antibiotics, which have the potential advantage of delivering high concentrations directly at the infected situs while reducing the burden of long-lasting systemic antimicrobial therapy.

Interdisciplinary case discussions among orthopaedic and trauma surgeons, infectious disease specialists, microbiologists, pathologists, plastic surgeons, and other disciplines have been reported to improve the likelihood of good clinical outcomes of bone and joint infections. This not only relates to the eradication of the pathogens but also to the relief of pain and restoration of limb and joint function.

We would like to invite esteemed researchers and clinicians to contribute to this Special Issue with the objective of advancing our knowledge and expanding our perspectives on the prevention, diagnosis, and management of bone and joint infections. We also aim to capture a global perspective, since we are aware that the pathogen environment, the diagnostic algorithms, and the therapeutic options do widely differ between the countries and the continents.

Dr. Christof Berberich
Dr. Jaime Esteban
Guest Editors

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• diagnostics
• prevention
• antibiotic