Discordant isolates in bone specimens from patients with recurrent foot osteomyelitis.

We compared paired operative bone cultures (initial operation and reoperation) for 35 patients who experienced foot osteomyelitis treatment failure at a single hospital. Concordance was poor (kappa = 0.180). Staphylococcus aureus, gram negatives, and anaerobes were the most common discordant bacteria seen at reoperation, while Enterococcus was the most persistent.