Genomic Sequencing to Diagnose Prosthetic Joint Infection in the Knee: A Case Report

There is currently no "gold-standard" method to diagnose prosthetic joint infections (PJI), and the current practice of using microbiological cultures has many limitations. The identification of the bacterial species causing the infection is crucial to guide treatment; therefore, a robust method needs to be developed. Here, we attempt to use genomic sequencing with the MinION device from Oxford Nanopore Technologies to identify the species of bacteria causing PJI in a 61-year-old male. Genomic sequencing with the MinION presents an opportunity to produce species identification in real-time and at a smaller cost than current methods. By comparing results with standard hospital microbiological cultures, this study suggests that nanopore sequencing using the MinION could be a faster and more sensitive method to diagnose PJI than microbiological cultures.