Microcalorimetry—Versatile Method of Describing Bacterial Growth

Abstract

(1) Background: Due to the aging population in industrialized countries and due to the increase in the number of traffic or sports accidents, the number of artificial joints and implants for osteosynthesis will increase in the coming years. Therefore, the risk of postoperative infections will be higher as well. (2) Methods: For this study, we combined classical bacterial identification with the description of bacterial growth curves using microcalorimetry. (3) Results: We evaluated the growth of S. aureus and S. epedermidis, but we believe that this can be applied to any anaerobic or aerobic bacterial colony. We discovered that the time interval after which we can identify a growth curve does not exceed 15–20 h. (4) Conclusions: The diagnosis made by combining the methods of sonication and microcalorimetry manages to provide a great deal of information about the bacteria we studied. Microcalorimetry has real potential as a method for obtaining quick diagnosis in various cases of infection, but many more experiments need to be done to ensure the correct use of this technique. A detailed investigation (including kinetic analysis) of the reproducible thermal signal of bacterial growth can lead to the development of alternative means of rapid bacterial identification.