Role of Neutrophils Apoptosis in Osteomyelitis Pathogenesis

Abstract

EditorialOsteomyelitis is a bone infection characterized by progressive inflammatory destruction of the infected bone and new apposition of bone at the site of infection. In adults, osteomyelitis is usually a complication of open wounds due to fractures, surgery, or both, with or without the presence of foreign bodies such as prosthetic devices. In fact, it is estimated that about 0.4 to 7% of trauma and orthopaedic interventions are complicated by osteomyelitis [1][2][3][4][5][6].Bone infections can also be the result of bacteraemia, mostly in children and in elderly patients, in whom the infection involves mainly the axial skeleton. The microorganism most frequently isolated in both post-traumatic and haematogenous cases is Staphylococcus aureus.Osteomyelitis constitutes a difficult-to-treat infection, with high rates of recurrence of about 20-30% despite appropriate medical and surgical therapies, causing significant morbidity and mortality [7][8][9][10][11][12][13].Much attention has been dedicated to improving the medical and surgical treatments of osteomyelitis, but little progress has been made toward understanding its pathogenesis. It is clear that it is multifactorial and influenced mainly by local factors related to the bone lesion and microorganisms inoculated into the bone, but inherited factors and cell immunity dysfunctions could play some role as well [14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26].