FIG 4.

Contribution of specimen types to the diagnosis of prosthetic joint infection. (A) Thirty-five cases were diagnosed based on positive cultures of the minimum set comprising tissue biopsy specimens (5-STB), prosthetic components (PC), and joint fluid (JF). (B) A subgroup of 28 cases was evaluated based on all specimen types. It is apparent that neither the bone biopsy specimen (BB) nor the prosthetic swab (in situ) (SW) culture contributed independently to the diagnosis. *, one case diagnosis was supported by next-generation sequencing; **, one case showed a negative result in the culture of joint fluid; ***, one case showed negative results in the culture of prosthetic components; ****, in four cases, only one or two specimen types contributed to the culture-positive findings.