[Joint prosthesis infection with Staphyococcus lugdunensis: 7 cases].

Staphylococcus lugdunensis was described in Lyon in 1988. This coagulase-negative staphylococcus is the cause of diverse infections which are often severe, particularly in the field cardiology where numerous publications are available for reference. The severity of S. lugdunensis infection is related to specific virulence factors associated with significant adherence properties despite good sensitivity to antibiotics. Publications dealing with joint prosthesis infections are sparse and the reports available have noted failure of treatment unless the prosthesis is removed. S. lugdunensis can easily be identified with an Api Id 32 Staph battery from BioMerieux. We analyzed seven cases of joint prosthesis infections with S. lugdunensis observed between 1991 and 2005. Four chronic infections were managed using the classical schema of implant removal then reimplantation, using a two-stage procedure for three and a single stage for one. Combined with adequate antibiotic treatment, this method was successful in all four cases. We did however have three cases of failure (two were secondary to a probable hematogenic infection and the other an early postoperative infection); these cases were operated on by early lavage and antibiotic therapy without success.