Bone and joint
infections are becoming of great concern in an elderly population with growing numbers of prosthetic joints and comorbidities. This paper summarizes recently published literature on periprosthetic joint
infections, vertebral
osteomyelitis and
diabetic foot infections. According to a new study, in the presence of a hematogenous periprosthetic
infection and other inserted
joint prostheses that are unremarkable on clinical examination, further invasive or imaging diagnostics may not be necessary. Periprosthetic
infections that occur late (> 3 months after joint installation) have a worse outcome. New studies tried to identify factors when
prosthesis preservation might still be an option. A new randomized landmark trial from France failed to show non-inferiority for 6 versus 12 weeks of
therapy length. Thus, it can be assumed that this will currently become the standard
therapy length for all surgical modalities (retention or replacement). Vertebral
osteomyelitis is a rather rare bone
infection, but the incidence has continued to rise sharply in recent years. A retrospective study from Korea provides information on the distribution of pathogens in different age groups and with selected comorbidities; this could help in the selection of an empiric
therapy when pathogen identification is not successful before starting the treatment. The guidelines by the "International Working Group on the
Diabetic Foot (IWGDF)" have been updated with a slightly different classification. New practice recommendations of the German society of diabetology emphasize an early interdisciplinary interprofessional management. Empirical
therapy continues to be based on the severity of the
infection and other risk factors (such as previous
therapies or
ischemia). Microbiological diagnosis from tissue samples is described as superior to smears. According to a randomized pilot study, 3 weeks
therapy length for
osteomyelitis after
debridement appears to be noninferior to 6 weeks.