Further investigations into the potentiation of infection by intra-articular injection of polysulfated glycosaminoglycan and the effect of filtration and intra-articular injection of amikacin.

The research article discusses a study on the impact of Polysulfated glycosaminoglycan (PSGAG) on the augmentation of infections in horses, as well as how the filtration usage of the antibiotic amikacin can mitigate this effect.

Objective of Study

• The primary objective of the study was to examine the role of polysulfated glycosaminoglycan (PSGAG) in enhancing the potency of Staphylococcus aureus infections in horses with septic arthritis. It also investigated the effectiveness of filtering and applying amikacin, an antibiotic, intra-articularly, to reduce the infection.

Study Method

• For the study, four groups, each containing eight horses, were taken. One midcarpal joint of each horse was injected with around 33 viable colony-forming units (CFU) of Staphylococcus aureus together with one of the following: 1 ml of saline solution, 250 mg of PSGAG, 250 mg of PSGAG passed through a 0.6-microns filter, or 250 mg of PSGAG along with 125 mg of amikacin.
• Horses displaying symptoms of sepsis were euthanized and samples were taken postmortem. Those horses who survived had samples obtained through arthroscopy 13 and 14 days after their injections.

Study Findings

• Staphylococcus aureus was found in one of the group-1 horses, eight of the group-2 horses, and seven of the group-3 horses. The bacteria were not found in any of the group-4 horses.
• All the above-mentioned 16 horses showed clinical symptoms and results of synovial fluid analysis which aligned with septic arthritis.
• The study found that PSGAG (250mg) significantly amplified the infectiveness of 33 CFU of S. aureus (P = 0.001). This new knowledge that PSGAG can potentiate infection is significant because it could lead to changes in joint treatments involving PSGAG.
• It was also evidenced that filtering the PSGAG did not affect its potentiating capacity. That means using a filter to try and reduce the infection risk associated with PSGAG treatment is ineffective.
• On the other hand, the intra-articular application of 125mg of amikacin immediately after injecting the joint with the bacteria noticeably reduced the infection potentiated by PSGAG (P=0.001). This finding is of high importance since it offers a solution to combat the enhancement of infection by PSGAG.