Main container

Our activities

  • Collection, classification, characterization and storage of microbial strains isolated from surgical and periprosthetic infections (Strain library of the Research Unit on Implant Infections, at present over 2.700 strains);
  • etiology and molecular epidemiology of the implant infections and identification of emerging pathogens responsible of surgical infections;
  • pathogenesis of implant infections. Study of of virulence factors: biofilm and adhesins;
  • interference of bacterial biofilms of different molecular composition on the phagocytosis of neutrophils and macrophages;
  • antibiotic-resistance: molecular mechanisms and relationships between antibiotic-resistance and bacterial adhesion;
  • bacterial toxins in the opportunistic infections (by Staphylococcus and Pseudomonas) and their cytopathic effect on bone-derived cells;
  • competition between eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells in relation to the chemical-physical characteristics of biomaterial;
  • frustrated phagocytosis of neutrophils as a cause of osteolysis;
  • bacterial internalization mechanisms in osteoblasts: osteoblast apoptosis and osteoclasts activation in the pathogenesis of osteomyelitis;
  • infection-resistant materials and coatings, chemical treatments or drugs able to inhibit specific microbial adhesion mechanisms;
  • prosthetic materials surfaces favoring osteo-integration;
  • mechanisms of cellular adhesion on biomaterials;
  • opportunistic surgical infections in orthopaedic oncology.

Campoccia D.,  Montanaro L., and Arciola CR (2012). "Implant infections and infection resistant materials". In: Degradation of Implant Materials. Noam Eliaz Editor, p. 347-358, New York: Springer

In relation to the clinical activity:

  • New phenotypic and genotypic methods for the recognition of Staphylococcus, Pseudomonas and Enterococcus strains that are particularly virulent producers of biofilms and adhesins, with the aim to improve diagnoses and therapeutic lines;  
  • Identification of any bacterial species through RiboPrinter®, also at the request of  other Health Authorities in the Region;
  • Individuation and monitoring of bacterial clones causing ward or surgery room “outbreaks”through RiboPrinter®.

Chromatic scale (very red, red, bordeaux, almost black, black, very black) of the optimised Congo Red Agar plate test for the detection of slime production by Staphylococcus epidermidis. Biomaterials. 2002;23(21):4233-9.

Multiplex PCR for the detection of ica locus  individual genes from a slime-forming  Staphylococcus epidermidis biofilm Enterococcal biofilm formation onto a prosthesis polymeric surface

Biofilm-forming strains are more frequently antibiotic-resistant than non biofilm-forming strains, particularly to aminoglycosides

Researches on bacterial adhesion onto biomaterials and on molecular pathology of implant infections have been opened at the Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute by the present Head of the Laboratory on Implant Infections ever since 1986 in the Research Laboratory on Biocompatibility of Implant Materials, and since 2000 have been developed in Laboratory on Implant Infections.

Some of the achieved results:

  • Etiology: the bacterial species most responsible for peri-prosthetic infections have been identified, as well as about 15 minor species of new emerging pathogens;
  • Pathogenesis: pathogenetical aspects of biofilm, adhesins, toxins and resistance genes in Staohylococcus aureus, S. epidermidis and Enterococcus faecalis have been clarified;
  • Molecular epidemiology: through ribo-typing and cluster analysis, the particularly virulent clones of the main pathogen species have been identified;
  • Anti-infective biomaterials: anti-adhesive coverings have been studied, and, in particular, the role of heparin as an inhibitor of the Staphylococcus-fibronectin connection was demonstrated.