Staphylococcus aureus biofilm formation on an explanted cochlear implant demonstrated using an ultrasonication technique

Biofilm forming microorganisms are responsible for the infection of a number of different indwelling medical devices including cochlear implants. The current definitive technique for proving biofilm infection is the use of scanning electron microscopy that is expensive and of limited availability. A...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cochlear implants international 2012-08, Vol.13 (3), p.181-183
Main Authors: Fishpool, Samuel Jc, Osborne, Jonathan E, Looker, Nicholas
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bacteriological Techniques
Biofilms
Chronic Disease
Cochlear Implants - microbiology
Device Removal
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Prosthesis-Related Infections - diagnosis
Prosthesis-Related Infections - surgery
Pseudomonas Infections - diagnosis
Pseudomonas Infections - surgery
Reoperation
Sonication
Staphylococcal Infections - diagnosis
Staphylococcal Infections - surgery
Staphylococcus aureus - physiology
Tomography, X-Ray Computed
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Biofilm forming microorganisms are responsible for the infection of a number of different indwelling medical devices including cochlear implants. The current definitive technique for proving biofilm infection is the use of scanning electron microscopy that is expensive and of limited availability. A persistently infected cochlear implant was explanted. At operation it was surrounded by a fibrous capsule containing a glue-like substance, characteristic of biofilm formation that yielded Staphylococcus aureus after ultrasonication of the device. The explanted cochlear implant was placed in a nutrient broth in an ultrasonic water bath. The implant was ultrasonicated for 5 minutes and the broth cultured on blood agar, incubated aerobically and anaerobically for 48 hours, and then incubated in air on Maconkey agar for 24 hours. This produced a heavy, confluent growth of S. aureus, in contrast to previous aspirates from a blister that lay over the infected implant that grew a coliform organism and Pseudomonas sp. Ultrasonication is a widely available and relatively inexpensive technique that can be used to improve the recovery of biofilm-associated organisms from explanted cochlear implants.
ISSN:1754-7628
DOI:10.1179/146701011X12950038111693