Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Testing joint fluid by culture or PCR to find infection in dogs
By Scharf, V F et al.·Published in Australian veterinary journal·2015·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Comparison of synovial fluid culture and 16S rRNA PCR in dogs with suspected septic arthritis.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs suspected of having septic arthritis (an infection in the joint) underwent tests to identify the bacteria causing their symptoms. Researchers compared two methods: a traditional culture test and a newer PCR test. While the PCR test detected bacteria in about 74% of cases, the culture method was more specific, accurately identifying the bacteria in all cases it tested. This study suggests that while the PCR test may be useful, the traditional culture method remains the more reliable option for diagnosing septic arthritis in dogs.
People also search for: dog joint infection treatment · septic arthritis in dogs · dog joint pain diagnosis · PCR test for dog arthritis
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To prospectively compare the sensitivity and specificity of 16S rRNA PCR with culture for identifying the causative organism in synovial fluid obtained from dogs with suspected septic arthritis. METHODS: Synovial fluid cytology, PCR analysis and aerobic, anaerobic and Mycoplasma culture of samples from the affected joints of 18 dogs presenting with suspected septic arthritis were performed. Synovial fluid samples from the corresponding contralateral joints of 7 dogs were also analysed as negative controls. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between the sensitivity of bacterial detection via culture (63.2%) versus PCR (73.7%) of synovial fluid (P=0.728) or between culture and combined PCR and culture (89.5%) of synovial fluid (P=0.124). The specificity of PCR (42.9%) was significantly lower than culture specificity (100%) (P=0.07). CONCLUSION: Although 16S PCR may hold potential as an ancillary diagnostic test for identifying the causative organism in dogs with septic arthritis, our study failed to demonstrate improved accuracy compared with traditional synovial fluid culture.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26010926/