ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE AND STAPHYLOCOCCI PERIPROSTHETIC JOINT INFECTIONS: DECIPHERING THE INTERACTION BETWEEN BACTERIAL QUORUM SENSING AND IMMUNE RESPONSE (ref D.R. 101/2026)

The study aims to characterize the pathogen-specific immunological profile associated with different pathogens responsible for periprosthetic joint infections (PJIs), with particular emphasis on the role of the agr system in infections caused by Staphylococcus species. AIM 1: To identify cellular infiltrates, inflammatory mediators, and agr system expression in acute and chronic PJIs caused by Staphylococcus species.AIM 2: To characterize the whole genome of Staphylococcus species isolated from acute and chronic PJIs.AIM 3: To develop an in vitro platform to investigate the role of the agr quorum sensing (QS) system in biofilm formation, modulation of the immune response, and antibiotic susceptibility.