Gram – Joint Fluid: 4+ (>10/oif) neutrophils; 3+ (11-50/oif) gram negative bacilli (Acinetobacter species) – Shipped February 11, 2019
HISTORY
A simulated joint fluid sample collected from a 72 year old male, knee replacement, post-op infection was sent to category A, C, and C1 laboratories.
Participants were expected to the presence of neutrophils and gram negative bacilli.
MAIN EDUCATIONAL POINTS from GS184-1
- While the majority of prosthetic joint infections result from gram positive infections, gram negative infections are not uncommon, and must be on the differential.
- Acinetobacter may be difficult to de-stain, may pair or clump and are pleomorphic gram negative coccobacilli; care must be taken not to mistaken it for Neisseria species or gram positive organisms such as Staphylococcus or Streptococcus.
