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Show SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AND HEALTH SCIENCES UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS EFFICACY OF NOVEL ANTIMICROBIAL COMPOUNDS TO TREAT AND PREVENT PJIS Gina Allyn (Dustin Williams) Department of Orthopaedics University of Utah Periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) has been a growing problem for total joint arthroplasties (TJA) for decades. Currently, 0.5-3% of TJAs result in periprosthetic joint infection. There are many complications that can accompany infection for those unfortunate 0.5-3%: higher cost, chronic infection, longer hospital stay, increased pain, revision surgery, device removal, and/or limb loss. The major problem, however, is that methicillin-resistant organisms cause more than one half of PJIs. The antibiotics that worked 15 years ago do not have the ability to treat these infections and the drugs that work n o w may not have an effect in years to come. Thus, there is an extreme demand for novel antimicrobials to be developed that carry reduced risk of prompting bacterial resistance. The Bone and Joint Research Laboratory is currently in the process of preforming initial efficacy testing of newly developed antimicrobial compounds. These compounds have the potential to prevent and eradicate existing PJIs as well as prevent the formation of bacterial resistance. Their specific bactericidal method of action is to permeabilize the membranes of gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria, rather than just inhibiting membrane proteins. Our research ultimately focuses on the orthopaedic impact of these new compounds, but the development of these novel compounds will have unquestionable impression in all medical and industrial fields fighting bacteria. Though research is currently ongoing, data have been collected to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and biofilm activity of these new compounds. The goal is to find the concentration at which bacteria reduce the number of bacteria from 105 (the clinically most c o m m o n amount) to 102 (the clinically manageable amount). Zones of inhibition and 10-fold dilution series are used to quantify the bacteria. Then measurement is performed of h o w many bacteria survive the antimicrobial being tested. Initial data from zones of inhibition and 10-fold dilution series indicate these compounds have excellent potential bactericidal efficacy against biofilm methicillin-resistant S. aureus and are applicable to the treatment of PJIs, especially those caused by highly resistant bacteria. Gina Allyn Dustin Williams 107 |
