Bacterial Arthritis

BACTERIAL arthritis is a common and serious problem at major urban medical centers. We review the pathophysiology of bacterial arthritis, clinical and microbiologic characteristics of its common forms, and current approaches to diagnosis and treatment of this condition.PathophysiologyBacterial arthritis is usually hematogenously acquired. In 1939 Shaffer and Bennett demonstrated that pneumococcal bacteremia in rabbits often caused pneumococcal arthritis,¹ and other laboratory models of bacterial arthritis were subsequently described.^{2 , 3} The synovium is extremely vascular and contains no limiting basement membrane, thus promoting easy access of blood contents to the synovial space. Certain bacteria, such as Neisseria gonorrhoeae, are . . .