<i>Cutibacterium avidum</i>: A Potent and Underestimated Pathogen in Prosthetic Hip Joint Infections

<i>Cutibacterium avidum</i> has recently been reported as a rare cause of prosthetic joint infections (PJIs), contrary to <i>Cutibacterium acnes</i>, which is well established as a cause of PJIs, especially in shoulder arthroplasties. Two specific risk factors for PJI due to...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Johanna Karlsson, Nina Kamenska, Erika Matuschek, Holger Brüggemann, Bo Söderquist
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-02-01
Series:Microorganisms
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/12/3/432
Description
Summary:<i>Cutibacterium avidum</i> has recently been reported as a rare cause of prosthetic joint infections (PJIs), contrary to <i>Cutibacterium acnes</i>, which is well established as a cause of PJIs, especially in shoulder arthroplasties. Two specific risk factors for PJI due to <i>C. avidum</i> have been reported: obesity and the skin incision approach. Here, we report four cases of hip PJIs caused by <i>C. avidum</i> admitted over a 30-month period at a single center. Whole-genome sequencing revealed that the four <i>C. avidum</i> strains were all individual strains and did not originate from a common source, such as an outbreak. Antibiotic susceptibility tests showed that the isolates were fully susceptible, and none carried known antibiotic resistance genes. In conclusion, the occurrence of four cases of PJI caused by <i>C. avidum</i> over a limited time at a single center may indicate that this pathogen is underestimated and is either emerging or more common than previously recognized. The patients presented overt signs of infection during surgery, indicating that <i>C. avidum</i> is a virulent pathogen. None of the previously reported risk factors for <i>C. avidum</i> PJI applied to these patients as only one was obese and none were operated on using a direct anterior skin incision approach.
ISSN:2076-2607