Differentiating between periprosthetic hip infection and aseptic hip prosthesis loosening can be challenging, especially in patients with chronic infections. This study used whole-genome microarray analysis to investigate the transcriptomes of periprosthetic hip tissues to identify genes that are differentially transcripted between chronic periprosthetic hip infection and aseptic hip prosthesis loosening.
In this pilot study, a total of 24 patients with either chronic periprosthetic hip infection (n = 12) or aseptic hip prosthesis loosening (n = 12) were analyzed. Periprosthetic hip infection was diagnosed based on modified criteria of the Musculoskeletal Infection Society. To evaluate differences in gene transcription, whole-genome microarray analysis was performed on the mRNA of periprosthetic tissue.
Microarray analysis revealed differential gene transcription in periprosthetic hip tissue affected by chronic hip infection vs aseptic hip prosthesis loosening. A total of 39 genes had area under the curve values greater than 0.9 for diagnosing chronic periprosthetic hip infection; 5 genes had annotations relevant to infection and metabolism. The 39 genes also included 7 genes that were differentially transcribed but that have no apparent connection to immune response processes plus 27 genes with unknown function.
Differences in gene transcription profiles might represent novel diagnostic targets that can be used to differentiate between chronic periprosthetic hip infections and aseptic hip prosthesis loosening. Secondary metabolites of differentially transcripted genes might serve as easily accessible markers for detecting chronic periprosthetic joint infection in future.