South African Orthopaedic Journal

ARTHROPLASTY

DOI 10.17159/2309-8309/2021/v20n4a2Maharaj Z et al. SA Orthop J 2021;20(4)

Citation: Maharaj Z, Pillay T, 
Mokete L, Pietrzak JRT. 
Preoperative asymptomatic 
bacteriuria in patients undergoing 
total joint arthroplasty in 
South Africa. SA Orthop J 
2021;20(4):202-206. http://dx.doi.
org/10.17159/2309-8309/2021/
v20n4a2

Editor: Prof. Michael Held, 
University of Cape Town, Cape 
Town, South Africa

Received: October 2020

Accepted: April 2021

Published: November 2021

Copyright: © 2021 Maharaj Z. 
This is an open-access article 
distributed under the terms 
of the Creative Commons 
Attribution Licence, which permits 
unrestricted use, distribution and 
reproduction in any medium, 
provided the original author and 
source are credited.

Funding: No funding was 
received for this study.

Conflict of interest: The authors 
declare they have no conflicts 
of interest that are directly or 
indirectly related to the research.

Abstract
Background
Periprosthetic joint infections (PJIs) are a leading cause of revision for total hip arthroplasty (THA) 
and total knee arthroplasty (TKA), worldwide. Asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) is an independent 
risk factor for PJIs; however, a paucity of data relevant to developing countries exists. The aim of 
this study was to describe the prevalence of preoperative ASB and the subsequent incidence of 
PJIs in patients undergoing total joint arthroplasty (TJA) in South Africa.

Methods
We retrospectively reviewed primary THA and TKA patients. All patients were screened for 
ASB preoperatively. Patients with positive urinalysis for ASB were identified and treated prior 
to surgery (treated-ASB). The primary outcome was ASB prevalence and the incidence of PJIs 
and other perioperative complications. Secondary outcomes included risk factors for ASB and 
subsequent PJIs in treated-ASB patients, respectively, compared to those with no evidence 
of ASB (non-ASB). Lastly, we aimed to compare the infective microorganisms cultured from 
preoperative urinalysis and perioperative sampling of PJIs.

Results
We included 179 patients (67 THA; 80% female) with mean follow-up of 2.45 years. ASB 
prevalence was 22% (n = 39). Patients older than 70 years were 3.5 times more likely to have 
ASB compared to younger patients (p = 0.005). The prevalence of ASB was 22% (n = 10) 
for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive and 22% (n = 29) for HIV-negative patients  
(p = 0.084). PJI incidence was 8% (n = 3) in the treated-ASB and 1% (n = 1) in non-ASB. 
Treated-ASB patients had an 11.6-fold increased likelihood of PJIs than non-ASB patients  
(p = 0.046). PJI microorganisms cultured did not correlate to isolates from urine cultures.

Conclusion
The prevalence of ASB in a TJA population in South Africa is 22% which is higher than reported 
findings worldwide. Although the value of preoperative antibiotic therapy for ASB remains 
controversial, there is a role for routine urinalysis preoperatively to identify patients predisposed to 
PJI. This is of specific significance in the management of HIV-positive patients and in developing 
countries to guide healthcare providers in resource-constrained environments.
Level of evidence: Level 2
Keywords: total hip arthroplasty, total knee arthroplasty, asymptomatic bacteriuria, periprosthetic joint 
infection, developing country

Preoperative asymptomatic bacteriuria in patients undergoing 
total joint arthroplasty in South Africa 
Zia Maharaj,*  Tristan Pillay, Lipalo Mokete, Jurek RT Pietrzak 

Arthroplasty Unit, Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, University of the Witwatersrand, 
Johannesburg, South Africa

*Corresponding author: maharajzia@gmail.com

Introduction
A significant demand for total joint arthroplasty (TJA) exists, with 
over 1 million procedures performed in the United States of America 
(USA) annually alone.1 The average rate of total hip arthroplasty 
(THA) has increased by approximately 30%, while the performance 
of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) procedures doubled globally 
between 2000 and 2015.2 Demand for TJA continues to rise and 
is projected to continue increasing through 2030.3 The increasing 
demand for TJA translates into a massive economic burden for 
global healthcare systems further compounded by postoperative 
readmissions for complications such as periprosthetic joint 
infections (PJIs).4 PJIs are infective postoperative complications 

ranging from surgical site infections (SSIs) to deep intra-articular 
infections. PJIs are the third most common cause of THA revisions 
and the most common cause of TKA revisions, globally.5 The 
annual cost for revisions due to PJI is expected to increase 
to US$1.62 billion by 2020 and has a five-year mortality rate of 
21.12% after primary TJA.5 The serious implications of PJI have 
led to increased efforts to limit infections by the strict adherence 
to antibiotic prophylaxis, laminar airflow systems in operating 
theatres, extensive patient perioperative clinical optimisation and 
stringent sterilisation protocols.6 The incidence of PJI after primary 
TJA, however, remains at 1.4% rates despite the implementation 
of preventative measures.7 

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9172-911X


Page 203Maharaj Z et al. SA Orthop J 2021;20(4)

Asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) from the genitourinary tract may 
be a source of infection for PJI through haematogenous seeding.8,9 
A multicentre study including institutions from the United Kingdom 
(UK), Portugal and Spain identified ASB as an independent risk 
factor for PJI (p = 0.001), especially those due to Gram-negative 
microorganisms.8 Similarly, a systematic review and meta-analysis 
of ten TJA studies showed an increased risk for PJI with ASB 
(odds ratio [OR]:3.64; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.40–9.42).9 
However, Sousa et al. (2019) reported that the PJI microorganisms 
were unrelated to those in the urine of the patients with ASB.9 
Furthermore, there is evidence demonstrating an association 
between postoperative urinary tract infections (UTI) and PJI.10-12 
Identifying underlying characteristics, especially modifiable risk 
factors which predispose TJA patients to infection, is essential to 
mitigate the risk of adverse outcomes.

There is no international consensus guideline for the screening 
and management of ASB in patients for TJA. The British Orthopaedic 
Association recommends routine urinalysis for all TJA patients 
preoperatively; however, they are not specific on management of 
positive results.13 The Spanish Society of Infectious Diseases and 
Clinical Microbiology recommends treating ASB while the Antibiotic 
Therapeutic Guidelines for Australia do not support treatment of 
ASB preoperatively.14,15 A meta-analysis by Sousa et al. (2019) 
concluded that preoperative antibiotic treatment for ASB does 
not influence PJI risk and should not be implemented routinely.9 
However, no studies have been reported for an African population, 
particularly concerning demographic risk factors such as human 
immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and body mass index (BMI). 
Furthermore, there is a paucity of data relating to the association 
between ASB and SSI. There are also economic implications of 
increased costs for routine screening in less-developed countries 
that must be considered.

The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of ASB in 
patients for primary TJA in South Africa. Secondarily, we sought 
to determine the incidence of PJIs in TJA patients with no 
preoperative ASB (non-ASB) compared to those who received TJA 
after the treatment of ASB (treated-ASB). Lastly, we evaluated risk 
factors for both ASB and subsequent PJIs in this TJA population. 
We hypothesise that the high prevalence rates of HIV in South 
Africa would predispose this sample population to high rates of 
ASB and subsequent infective complications.

Materials and methods
We conducted a retrospective review of prospectively collected 
data for patients undergoing primary TJA at an academic referral 
institution in Johannesburg, South Africa. The study was conducted 
between January 2015 and December 2016. Patients included in 
the study were adults aged 18 years or older, undergoing primary, 
elective THA or TKA and who provided consent for voluntary 
participation in the study. Exclusion criteria included revision THA, 
revision TKA and patients for primary TJA who did not provide 
consent. All patients eligible for study inclusion were screened for 
evidence of symptomatic UTI. Symptoms of UTI that were assessed 
included a history of urinary frequency or urgency, foul-smelling 
urine, abnormal colour of urine, dysuria or burning on micturition 
and a sensation of incomplete bladder emptying.16 Patients with 
symptoms of UTI were excluded from the sample population and 
received appropriate treatment prior to their elective operations. 

Demographic data was recorded for all study participants, 
including age, sex, BMI and tobacco use. Medical comorbidities 
documented included diabetes mellitus, hypertension and HIV 
status, and the American Society of Anesthesiologists Classification 
(ASA class) was noted. All patients provided a mid-stream urine 
sample that was sent for microscopy, culture and sensitivity (MC&S) 
by the National Health Laboratory Services (NHLS) of South Africa 

three days prior to surgery. The urinary specimen was considered 
positive for bacterial isolation if > 100 000 colony-forming units/ml 
and antibiotic sensitivity was identified. Patients with evidence of 
ASB on urinalysis had their operation postponed and were treated 
for five days with an oral antibiotic according to microorganism 
sensitivity. Urine MC&S was subsequently performed, and patients 
received TJA only once their urine sample was sterile.

All patients underwent TJA by the same three fellowship-
trained arthroplasty surgeons in a laminar-flow surgical theatre. 
Both THA and TKA procedures were performed under general 
anaesthesia (GA). All patients received both tranexamic acid 
(TXA) and a weight-adjusted prophylactic dose of first-generation 
cephalosporin intravenously at least 30 minutes before the first 
surgical incision. Clindamycin was given preferentially in penicillin-
allergic patients. Prophylactic antibiotics were continued for  
24 hours postoperatively. 

All THA procedures were performed using a modified antero-
lateral surgical approach, and an uncemented Pinnacle acetabular 
shell and uncemented Corail femoral stem (DePuy Synthes, 
Midrand, South Africa) in all cases. All TKA were performed 
by a medial parapatellar surgical approach after a midline skin 
incision. A cruciate-sacrificing fixed-bearing cemented TKA, using  
Genesis II (Smith and Nephew, Durban, South Africa) TKA implants 
was used in all cases. All components inserted in all TKA cases 
were cemented using Palacos® R + G antibiotic-loaded cement 
(Hereaus Group, Hanau, Germany). A drain was used and was 

Table I: Demographic data for total joint arthroplasty sample population 
(n = 179)

Characteristic Sample

TJA, n (%)
THA
TKA

67 (37)
31 (17)

Age (years), mean (range) 61.5 (33–83)

Sex, n (%)
Female
Male

144 (80)
35 (20)

BMI (kg/m2), n (%)
≤ 30
31–39
≥ 40

77 (43)
73 (41)
29 (16)

Aetiology, n (%)
Primary OA
Inflammatory OA
AVN
Post-traumatic OA
Other

107 (60)
40 (22)
23 (13)

5 (3)
4 (2)

ASA class, n (%)
1
2
3

48 (27)
103 (58)
28 (16)

Comorbidities, n (%)
Diabetes
Hypertension
HIV

30 (17)
74 (41)
45 (25)

Tobacco use, n (%)
Smoker
Non-smoker

45 (25)
134 (75)

Surgical time (minutes), mean ± SD
THA
TKA

94 ± 18
108 ± 23

TJA: total joint arthroplasty; THA: total hip arthroplasty; TKA: total knee 
arthroplasty; BMI: body mass index; OA: osteoarthritis; AVN: avascular necrosis; 
ASA class: American Society of Anesthesiologists Classification; HIV: human 
immunodeficiency virus; SD: standard deviation



Page 204 Maharaj Z et al. SA Orthop J 2021;20(4)

removed within 48 hours of surgery. Physiotherapy was initiated 
the day after surgery and patients were discharged once they 
were able to mobilise independently and negotiate steps with two 
crutches. Postoperatively all patients were routinely followed up  
14 days after surgery for wound assessment. Subsequent follow-up 
assessments were at three months, six months and one year after 
TJA and annually thereafter. All patients’ records were assessed 
for readmission rates and implant failures.

Retrospective review of preoperative and intraoperative patient 
data was conducted, and all postoperative complications were 
noted. All infective complications across the spectrum, from wound 
dehiscence and SSI to deep intra-articular PJI, were investigated 
to confirm the diagnosis of PJI definitively. The diagnosis of PJI 
was determined according to the modified criteria proposed by the 
Musculoskeletal Infection Society (MSIS) in 2014.17 Subsequent 
advances in the field of PJI diagnosis led to the development of new 
evidence-based criteria that has demonstrated a higher sensitivity 
of 97.7% compared to the older MSIS definition (79.3%).17 The 
retrospective design of our study allowed for the diagnosis of PJI 
to be confirmed on both the traditional MSIS criteria and the current 
evidence-based criteria defined by Parvizi et al. (2018).17 

All cases suspected of infective complications, including 
prolonged wound drainage (> 72 hours), deep PJI and infected 
wound dehiscence, were treated surgically in the same laminar-
flow theatre as per treating unit protocol by the surgeon who had 
performed index primary TJA. At least five tissue samples were 
taken surgically from separate sites. Specimens were hand-
delivered immediately postoperatively to the same laboratory for 
extended MC&S and fungal culture. 

For statistical analysis, the patients were divided into two groups: 
patients who received treatment preoperatively for ASB (treated-
ASB) and those without ASB (non-ASB). Bootstrapped statistics 
with 1 000 samples was performed. Two-sided tests were 
conducted for sex, age, BMI and comorbidities using chi-squared 
testing with continuity correction. Odds proportions were used to 
calculate risk ratio (RR) for an outcome of interest, and all pairwise 
comparisons were calculated using the Bonferroni correction. 
Two-sided statistical significance was p ≤ 0.05 and confidence 
interval of 95% (95% CI) with respective standard error (SE) was 
determined. All statistical analyses were performed using STATA 
(version 14) statistical package.

Results
There were 179 patients, including 67 that underwent THA and 
112 TKA respectively. All patients (100%) were evaluated at a 
mean follow-up of 2.45 years. Demographic details of the sample 
population are shown in Table I. The prevalence of ASB for our TJA 
sample was 22% (SE 3.1; 95% CI 15.7–27.9). 

Prevalence of ASB according to demographics and comorbidities 
is depicted in Table II. Females were 3.6 times more likely to have 
ASB than males (p = 0.060). The prevalence of ASB according to 
age was 42% (n = 15) for patients 70 years or older, 18% (n = 20) 
for those 51–69 years of age and 13% (n = 4) for those 50 years 
or younger, respectively (p = 0.005). Patients 70 years or older are 
3.5 times more likely to have ASB compared to patients younger 
than 70 (odds ASB positive: ≥ 70 years = 0.71; < 70 years = 0.2). 
Patients with an ASA class of 3 were 4.6 times more likely to have 
ASB compared to patients with ASA class 1 (odds ASB positive: 
ASA 1 = 0.12; ASA 3 = 0.54; p = 0.026). There were seven patients 
(16%) who used tobacco and 32 patients (24%) who did not use 
tobacco that presented with ASB, respectively (p = 0.046). The 
prevalence of ASB was 22% (n = 10) for HIV-positive patients and 
22% (n = 29) for HIV-negative patients (p = 0.084).

Table II: Asymptomatic bacteriuria prevalence by demographic and 
comorbid factors

Characteristic ASB positive 
(n)

ASB prevalence (%)  
± SE (95% CI)

p-value

Sex
Male
Female

3
36

8.6 ± 4.7 (0–20)
25 ± 3.6 (18.8–32.6)

0.060

Age (years)
≤ 50
51–69
≥ 70

4
20
15

13.3 ± 6.2 (3.3–26.7)
17.7 ± 3.7 (11.6–25)
41.7 ± 8.0 (25–58.3)

0.005

BMI (kg/m2)
≤ 30
31–39
≥ 40

18
12
9

23.4 ± 4.9 (14.5–34.2)
16.4 ± 4.2 (7.1–24.3)

31 ± 9.9 (13.6–50)

0.688

ASA class
1
2
3

4
27
8

8.3 ± 5.0 (2.6–21.2)
26.2 ± 3.9 (14.7–31)
28.6 ± 10.4 (15–55)

0.026

Diabetes
Yes
No

3
36

10 ± 5.7 (0–21.7)
24.2 ± 10.1 (0–42.9)

0.666

Hypertension
Yes
No

9
30

12.2 ± 4.4 (5.6–21.1)
28.6 ± 28.1 (20–37.1)

0.828

HIV
Positive
Negative

10
29

22.2 ± 5.5 (14–30)
21.6 ± 4.3 (10.2–30.5)

0.084

Tobacco use
Smoker
Non-smoker

7
32

15.6 ± 7.1 (9.7–38.7)
23.9 ± 3.3 (15.9–29)

0.041

ASB: asymptomatic bacteriuria; BMI: body mass index; ASA class: American 
Society of Anesthesiologists Classification; HIV: human immunodeficiency virus

Table III: Postoperative complications, readmissions and reoperations 
for total sample (n = 179), ASB-positive group (n = 39) and ASB-
negative group  
(n = 140)

Complication Total,  
n (%)

ASB-positive, 
n (%)

ASB-negative, 
n (%)

Total 13 (7) 5 (13) 8 (6)

Medical
PE
DVT
Pneumonia

4 (23)
1 (1)
2 (1)
1 (1)

1 (3)
0 (0)
1 (3)
0 (0)

3 (2)
1 (1)
1 (1)
1 (1)

Surgical
Nerve palsies
PJI
SSI
Deep PJI

9 (53)
2 (1)
4 (2)
3 (2)
1 (1)

4 (10)
0 (0)
3 (8)
2 (5)
1 (3)

5 (4)
2 (1)
1 (1)
1 (1)
0 (0)

Periprosthetic 
fractures*
Intraoperative
Postprosthetic 

3 (2)
2 (1)
1 (1)

1 (3)
1 (3)
0 (0)

2 (1)
1 (1)
1 (1)

Readmission rate
< 30 days
60 days
90 days

8 (5)
5 (3)
3 (2)
0 (0)

4 (10)
3 (8)
1 (3)
0 (0)

4 (3)
2 (1)
2 (1)
0 (0)

Revision TJA
PJI
Periprosthetic fracture

2 (1)
1 (1)
1 (1)

1 (3)
1 (3)
0 (0)

1 (1)
0 (0)
1 (1)

PJI: periprosthetic joint infection; SSI: surgical site infection; THA: total hip 
arthroplasty
*mean follow-up 2.45 years



Page 205Maharaj Z et al. SA Orthop J 2021;20(4)

There were 13 (7%) perioperative complications, eight (5%) 
readmissions and two (1%) revisions at a follow-up of 2.45 
years, respectively (Table III). There were two (5%) non-infective 
complications in the treated-ASB group (95% CI 0–12.8) and 
seven (5%) in the non-ASB group (95% CI 2.1–9.3), respectively. 
There were four (2%) infective complications including three (2%) 
SSIs and one (1%) deep PJI. The microorganisms cultured from 
urinalysis in patients with ASB (Figure 1) were different from the 
microorganisms cultured from postoperative infections in treated-
ASB patients (Table IV). There were three (8%) PJIs in the treated-
ASB group (95% CI 0–17.9) and one (1%) in the non-ASB group 
(95% CI 0–2.1), respectively. Patients with ASB were 11.6 times 
more likely to have wound complications than non-ASB patients 
(p = 0.046). 

Discussion
The prevalence of preoperative ASB in patients undergoing TJA in 
a single referral institution in South Africa was 22% (n = 39). This 
is higher than reports for similar populations in other countries. 
Studies indicate that the prevalence of ASB for TJA patients in 
Spain varies between 5.1 and 18.2%.9,18,19 Similarly the ASB 
prevalence rates for the UK range from 3.2% to 12.1%,6,8 while 
Finland and Portugal have reported ASB prevalence of 6.8% and 
11.2% respectively for TJA patients.8,20

Patients with preoperative ASB have been reported to be 
at increased risk for PJI.6,8,9 In our study we found an overall 
incidence of 2% (n = 4) for postoperative infections, i.e., SSI and 

PJI after a mean follow-up of 2.45 years. Despite being treated 
preoperatively, patients with ASB were 11.6 times more likely to 
have wound complications than non-ASB patients. A similar study 
of 4 368 patients reported a preoperative ASB prevalence of 3.2%, 
and all patients received appropriate antibiotic treatment prior to 
TJA.6 Weale et al. found a significantly higher rate of PJI in the ASB 
group (4.3%) compared to the non-ASB group (1.4%), respectively 
(p = 0.001).6 Furthermore, patients with ASB who were not treated 
preoperatively have been associated with a greater risk of PJI than 
patients who received antibiotic treatment. In a study of 20 226 
TJA patients, Honkanen et al. reported a PJI incidence of 0.3% 
in patients treated for ASB compared to 0.6% for a control group 
who were not given treatment.20 In a multicentre study, Sousa et 
al. reported the respective incidence of PJI as 3.9% and 4.7% 
for ASB patients who received treatment and did not receive 
treatment preoperatively.8 No international consensus exists to 
determine whether ASB should be treated preoperatively despite 
the association with infective complications.

Although patients for TJA with ASB have an established increased 
risk for PJI, the causative microorganisms are interestingly not 
consistently associated.6,8,9 The microorganisms cultured in the 
urine of ASB patients were all different from the PJI cultures in our 
study. While some studies report similar isolates between the ASB 
and PJI microorganisms, a systematic review and meta-analysis 
including 28 588 TJA patients reported that there was no causal 
association between microorganisms (OR: 0.98; 95% CI 0.39–
2.44).6,8,9 

Therefore, the value of preoperative testing for ASB may be 
controversial, especially in resource-constrained developing 
countries. However, an additional consideration in our 
demographic is that the prevalence of ASB was higher for HIV-
positive patients than HIV-negative patients (p = 0.084). Although 
this was not statistically significant, this finding must be highlighted 
as South Africa accounts for the most people living with HIV and 
the highest seroprevalence, worldwide.21 There were 7.7 million 
people living with HIV in 2020 and 240 000 new adult infections 
each year. There is an established association between HIV, highly 
active anti-retroviral treatment (HAART) and osteodegenerative 
pathology, which predisposes patients to TJA.22 In a study of 
1 007 TJA patients in South Africa, the seroprevalence of HIV 
in patients for THA was higher than the general population.21 
Furthermore, the 2018 International Consensus on Orthopaedic 
Infections determined that HIV is an independent risk for PJI.23 
This emphasises the importance of ASB in HIV-positive patients 
that may determine a further predisposing risk factor for PJI. 
Screening for ASB may allow healthcare providers to identify 
patients at increased risk for PJIs to guide management of evolving 
perioperative complications. It may be used as a surrogate marker 
to identify those individuals likely to have infective complications. 
Furthermore, the strong correlation with wound complications may 
provide motivation for more elaborate wound care postoperatively 
– this, however, needs to be validated in further studies. 

There were several significant findings according to demographic 
characteristics such as sex, age, ASA class and tobacco use in our 
study population. There is an associated increased prevalence of 
ASB associated with increasing age and female sex in the general 
population.24 In our TJA population, females were 3.6 times more 
likely to have ASB than males (p = 0.060). Sousa et al. similarly 
reported an increased ASB prevalence for females (16.3%) 
compared to males (5%) (p < 0.001).8 Our study also found that 
patients 70 years or older had the highest prevalence (18%) and 
were 3.5 times more likely to have ASB compared to patients 
younger than 70 (p = 0.005). Additionally, patients with an ASA 
class of 3 were 4.6 times more likely to have ASB compared to 
patients with ASA class 1 (p = 0.026). However, patients with a 

Table IV: Summary of cultured microorganisms
Patient Asymptomatic bacteriuria Periprosthetic joint 

infection

1 Escherichia coli MSSA

2 Escherichia coli MSSA

3 Streptococcus agalactiae MRSA

4 N/A MSSA
N/A: not applicable; MSSA: methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus; MRSA: 
methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

25
4

3

2

1
1

1 1
1

Escherichia coli
Proteus mirabilis
Klebsiella pneumoniae
Enterococcus faecalis
Morganella morganii

Streptococcus agalactiae
Citrobacter freundii
Escherichia fergusonii
Unknown

Figure 1. Urinalysis results



Page 206 Maharaj Z et al. SA Orthop J 2021;20(4)

higher ASA class were also older in age, which might account for 
the higher ASB prevalence noted in this group.

To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to investigate 
the prevalence of ASB in a TJA population in sub-Saharan Africa. 
There were several limitations identified in the study. First, the 
population size was small and there was no stratified sampling 
to identify significant risk factor associations, and type 2 error 
should be considered. The ASB prevalence description for a South 
African population may be incorporated into future systematic 
reviews and meta-analyses. The study may guide future research 
for management recommendations in immunocompromised 
individuals such as a randomised control trial with treated ASB-
positive patients to evaluate any perceived benefit. Despite 
these weaknesses, there were relevant statistically and clinically 
significant findings to guide further research and add to current 
knowledge. The results for microorganism cultures may guide 
future aetiological studies to better ascertain the pathophysiology 
of PJIs. 

Conclusion 
The prevalence of ASB in a TJA population in South Africa is 22% 
and higher than reported findings worldwide. There is an established 
association between preoperative ASB and increased risk of 
infective complications, which was reflected in our study. Although 
the value of antibiotic therapy for ASB remains controversial, there 
is a role for routine urinalysis preoperatively to identify patients 
predisposed to infective complications that may warrant more 
elaborate investigation to identify modifiable risk factors not yet 
known. The high prevalence of HIV represents a large immune-
compromised population in South Africa. Furthermore, these 
findings may guide improved management of patients in other 
resource-constrained environments such as better wound care in 
these individuals at risk – a randomised control trial with treated 
ASB positive patients would need to be done to evaluate any 
perceived benefit. 

Ethics statement
The authors declare that this submission is in accordance with the principles laid down 
by the Responsible Research Publication Position Statements as developed at the 
2nd World Conference on Research Integrity in Singapore, 2010.
Medical clearance was obtained from the University of the Witwatersrand Human 
Research Ethics Committee (Medical) registered with the National Health Research 
Ethics Council (NHREC) of the National Department of Health (M160716). Informed 
consent was obtained from all patients prior to being included in the study.
All procedures were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible 
committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki 
Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2008.

Declaration
The authors declare authorship of this article and that they have followed sound 
scientific research practice. This research is original and does not transgress 
plagiarism policies. 

Author contributions 
ZM: First draft preparation, manuscript revision
TP: Data capture, first draft preparation
LM: Study conceptualisation, manuscript revision
JRTP: Study conceptualisation, study design, manuscript revision

ORCID
Maharaj Z  https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9172-911X
Pillay T  https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9202-9449
Mokete L  https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9227-0515
Pietrzak JRT  https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5694-0016

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https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9172-911X
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9202-9449
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9227-0515
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5694-0016
http://connect.ajrr.net/2019-ajrr-annual-report
https://doi.org/10.1787/health_glance-2017-en
https://doi.org/10.1787/health_glance-2017-en
https://doi.org/10.2106/JBJS.17.01617
https://doi.org/10.2106/JBJS.17.01617
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11999-017-5244-6.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.idc.2018.06.005
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arth.2018.12.024
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arth.2018.12.024
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arth.2019.03.034
https://www.britishhipsociety.com/uploaded/Blue%20Book%202012%20fsh%20nov%202012.pdf
https://www.britishhipsociety.com/uploaded/Blue%20Book%202012%20fsh%20nov%202012.pdf
https://www.seimc.org/contenidos/documentoscientificos/procedimientosclinicos/seimcprocedimientoclinicovi.pd
https://www.seimc.org/contenidos/documentoscientificos/procedimientosclinicos/seimcprocedimientoclinicovi.pd
https://tgldcdp.tg.org.au/index
https://tgldcdp.tg.org.au/index
https://doi.org/10.1111/1574-6968.12204
https://doi.org/10.1111/1574-6968.12204
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arth.2018.02.078
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arth.2018.02.078
https://doi.org/10.1051/sicotj/2019042
https://doi.org/10.1302/2058-5241.5.190030
https://doi.org/10.1302/2058-5241.5.190030

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