Zar, Sarah2024-07-262024-07-262024-07-26https://hdl.handle.net/11299/264391Previous work in the Willett Lab had shown that clinical isolates of E. faecalis from the sites of periprosthetic joint infections (PJIs) demonstrated increased autoaggregation in media containing simulated synovial fluid (SSF) as compared to BHI, our general purpose growth medium, alone. This project investigated the effects of individual components of synovial fluid on the autoaggregation of PJI isolates; it was determined that hyaluronic acid and extracellular DNA promote autoaggregation. The timeline on which E. faecalis aggregates in SSF was previous unknown, and was determined through an experiment testing the kinetics of aggregate formation. Previous attempts to test antibiotic treatments in SSF indicated that the selected antibiotic treatments were not effective in SSF; examination of the efficacy of antibiotics in SSF as compared to BHI indicated that gentamicin was less effective against E. faecalis growing in SSF. The work highlights the importance of studying E. faecalis PJI isolates in media that simulates the joint cavity environment from which they were isolated.en-USbacteriaEnterococcusinfectionjointsynovial fluidEnterococcus faecalismicrobiologyPoster