A team from the University of Glasgow Dental School's Infection and Immunity Research Group have been awarded three years' funding of almost £126,000 from the Arthritis Research Campaign to analyse the bacteria on the surface of failed hip joints removed during revision surgery.

"Many patients who suffer from arthritis can receive relief from their symptoms by undergoing joint replacement surgery," explained team leader Dr Marcello Riggio, Senior Lecturer in Molecular Microbiology.

"The tremendous advances in orthopaedic surgery have resulted in prosthetic joints becoming commonplace, and more than 75,000 joint replacement operations are carried out in the UK every year.

"However, approximately 1,100 fail because they become infected. Such infections can lead to devastating complication, resulting in the joint having to be taken out and replaced again. Patients usually have to take antibiotics for prolonged periods.

"Our knowledge of which bacteria cause these infections is poor. Our study will use advanced methods to detect the DNA of bacteria on the surface of failed joints, which have been removed from patients. We will then be able to determine the types of bacteria present and may also learn about the ways in which these infections start."

Dr Riggio added that the results of the team's study would provide information which would help to prevent joint infections, and provide guidance on the best ways to treat them.

The Arthritis Research Campaign is the fourth largest medical research charity in the UK, and currently spends almost £1.5m on ten research projects looking at different types of arthritis in Glasgow.

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First published: 10 March 2005