The infection of Mycoplasma hominis after total knee replacement: Case report and literature review

Abstract

The Mycoplasma hominis infection is a rare postoperative complication after joint replacement. Based on our knowledge, there were only two cases reported by Korea all over the world currently. A case of postoperative Mycoplasma hominis infection after total knee replacement in our hospital was reported in this article. It was confirmed through mass spectrometer and Mycoplasma cultivation and treated by the first stage debridement, polyethylene insert replacement, and then drainage and irrigation combined with sensitive antibiotics after the operation. We observed that the C reactive protein (CRP) level correlates with the development of disease, while the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) remains at a high level, indicating the relevance between the Mycoplasma hominis infection caused by knee joint replacement and CRP. This study aims to report the case and review relevant literature.

Keywords: Arthroplasty, replacement, knee; Infection; Mycoplasma hominis.

Fig. 1

The wound had persistent exudate (A); in the debridement operation, a large number of exudate can be found at the medical site of the wound (B); the wound was healed after one-stage debridement, irrigation and antibiotic treatment (C).

Fig. 2

The results of pre-operative (A) and postoperative X-ray examination (B) showed that the prosthesis was in good position.

Fig. 3

Mycoplasma hominis culture was positive (A); through synovium pathology test, many inflammatory cell were observed and had infiltrated in the synovium tissue (B).