Turkish Neurosurgery
THE EFFECT OF SLIME FACTOR IN THE TREATMENT OF SPINAL IMPLANT INFECTIONS
Hasan TÜRKOĞLU1, Emrullah Cem KESİLMEZ2, Kutsal Devrim SEÇİNTİ3, İlke Evrim SEÇİNTİ4, Burak KÜÇÜK5, Murat ARAL6, Recep EKEN7, Zafer YÜKSEL8
1Ersin Arslan City Hospital, Department of Neurosurgery, Gaziantep,
2Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery, Kahramanmaraş,
3Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery, Kahramanmaraş,
4Hatay Mustafa Kemal University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pathology, Hatay,
5Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Microbiology, Kahramanmaraş,
6Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Microbiology, Kahramanmaraş,
7Adıyaman Research Hospital, Department of Neurosurgery, Adıyaman,
8Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery, Kahramanmaraş,
DOI: 10.5137/1019-5149.JTN.43753-23.1

Aim:The view that the biofilm layer formed on the implant surface is the main cause of treatment failure is more prominent. However, it is known that every bacterium has strains that can and cannot form biofilms. In this study, biofilm-forming and non-biofilm-forming strains of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) were used to investigate the effect of the biofilm-forming ability of the bacteria on treatment in rats.Material and Methods:Forty rats were divided into four equal groups as Group 1A, 1B, 2A, and 2B. All rats underwent single distance lumbar laminectomy, and titanium implants were introduced. Group 1 rats were inoculated with Slime factor (−) S. aureus, while Group 2 rats were inoculated with biofilm Slime factor (+) S. aureus. None of the rats were given antibiotics. One week later, the surgical field was reopened and microbiological samples were taken. The implants of rats in Groups 1A and 2A were left in place, while the implants of rats in Groups 1B and 2B were removed.Results:There was no statistically significant difference between the groups inoculated with slime factor (+) S. aureus; although, Groups 1A and 2A showed statistically significant difference. Statistical analysis with respect to bacterial count also showed a statistically significant difference between Groups 1A and 2A. There was a statistically significant difference between Group 1B and 2B.Conclusion:The results obtained in the present study reveal that in case of implant-dependent infection, the first sample taken can be checked for slime factor, and if there is infection with slime factor-negative bacterium, treatment without removing the implant may be recommended. S. aureus was used in the study because it is the most common cause of implant-related infection at surgical sites. Further studies using different bacterial species are needed to reach a definitive conclusion.

Corresponding author : Emrullah Cem KESİLMEZ