Carboxymethyl chitosan–zinc coating for prevention of pin tract infection: An animal model:

Background:Pin tract infection is a common problem in orthopedic and traumatology surgery. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of an implant coated with carboxymethyl chitosan–zinc (CMC-Zn2+) in prevention of pin tract infection.Materials and Methods:Twenty-four male New Zealand White rabbits were randomized into two equal groups (n = 12, uncoated and CMC-Zn2+). The implants were colonized with 1 × 106 colony forming units of Staphylococcus aureus and inserted into the lateral right proximal tibia in each rabbit. In each group, at 2 and 4 weeks post-surgery, five and seven rabbits were killed, respectively, to harvest the soft tissues around the implant as well as the hard tissue for histological analysis. The bone cross-sectional view, X-ray, and micro-computed tomography (μCT) were performed.Results:The surgical sites in each animal were evaluated individually at both time points. No evident signs of infections were found in the CMC-Zn2+ group, while a high rate of infection was observ...