Comparison of Aerobic Culturette, Synovial Membrane Biopsy, and Blood Culture Medium in Detection of Canine Bacterial Arthritis

Abstract

Canine joints were cultured 24 hours after inoculation with Staphylococcus intermedius using synovial membrane biopsy, synovial fluid on aerobic culturette and in blood culture medium, and synovial fluid incubated 24 hours in blood culture medium before being cultured. A mildly virulent strain consistently yielded positive cultures when incubated in blood culture medium 24 hours and negative cultures with the other techniques. A highly virulent strain also yielded positive cultures when incubated in blood culture medium 24 hours, which was significantly better than synovial membrane biopsy. When both strains were considered together there was no significant difference between the first three techniques; blood culture medium incubated 24 hours was significantly more reliable. These results suggest that the trauma of synovial membrane biopsy is not justified because synovial fluid culture is more reliable. Synovial fluid should be placed on an aerobic culturette and in blood culture medium, and the samples cultured immediately upon arrival at the laboratory to allow the most rapid results of culture and antibiotic sensitivity testing. The blood culture medium should be recultured after 24 hours of incubation to permit culture and antibiotic sensitivity testing of those samples (approximately 50%) that have no growth on initial culture.