Pathogen analysis in patients with diabetic foot osteomyelitis using 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing

To analyze the characteristics of pathogenic microorganisms in the infected bone tissues in patients with diabetic foot osteomyelitis (DFO) using 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing to facilitate rapid and accurate detection of pathogens and effective infection control. Between September, 2016 and April, 2017, 16 patients with DFO were admitted in our department and infected bone specimens were obtained during debridement. The pathogenic microorganisms in the specimens were identified using both 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing and automatic blood culture analyzer, and the characteristics of the microflora were analyzed based on 16S rRNA sequencing data in comparison with the results of blood culture. The results of 16S rRNA sequencing showed that bone tissues of DFO contained diverse and uniformly distributed pathogenic organisms, among which 20 (87%) dominant genera were identified with Prevotella as the most abundant pathogen. Both 16S rRNA sequencing and routine culture results suggested the domination