MedicineNet.com
MedicineNet home Picture Slideshows Diseases and conditions Symptoms and signs Procedures and tests Medications Health and Living Health news and views MedTerms medical dictionary
Font Size
A
A
A


Septic Arthritis
(Infectious Arthritis)

Medical Author: William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR
Medical Editor: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD

What is septic arthritis?

Septic, or infectious, arthritis is infection of one or more joints by microorganisms. Normally, the joint is lubricated with a small amount of fluid that is referred to as synovial fluid or joint fluid. The normal joint fluid is sterile and, if removed and cultured in the laboratory, no microbes will be found. With septic arthritis, microbes are identifiable in an affected joint fluid.

Most commonly, septic arthritis affects a single joint, but occasionally more joints are involved. The joints affected vary somewhat depending on the microbe causing the infection and the predisposing risk factors of the person affected. Septic arthritis is also called infectious arthritis.

What microbes cause septic arthritis?

Septic arthritis can be caused by bacteria, viruses, and fungi. The most common causes of septic arthritis are bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus and Haemophilus influenzae. In certain "high-risk" individuals, other bacteria may cause septic arthritis, such as E. coli and Pseudomonas spp. in intravenous drug abusers and the elderly, Neisseria gonorrhoeae in sexually active young adults, and Salmonella spp. in young children or in people with sickle cell disease. Other bacteria that can cause septic arthritis include Mycobacterium tuberculosis and the spirochete bacterium that causes Lyme disease.

Viruses that can cause septic arthritis include hepatitis A, B, and C, parvovirus B19, herpes viruses, HIV (AIDS virus), HTLV-1, adenovirus, coxsackie viruses, mumps, and ebola. Fungi that can cause septic arthritis include histoplasma, coccidiomyces, and blastomyces.



Next: Who is at risk of developing septic arthritis? »

Printer-Friendly Format  |  Email to a Friend


Suggested Reading by Our Doctors
MedicineNet Doctors
  • Sedimentation Rate - Learn more about sedimentation rate, including a description of the test, how it is performed, and normal rate measurements.
  • Lyme Disease - Get the facts on Lyme disease symptoms, signs, causes and transmission (bites from ticks infected with Borrelia burgdorferi), history, diagnosis, treatment and prevention.
  • Arthroscopy - Read about arthroscopy, a procedure with few complications that uses a tube-like device to examine, diagnose and treat a joint (knee, hip, wrist, shoulder, ankle, jaw).

Latest Medical News


Arthritis

Get the latest treatment options




Symptoms & Signs A-Z List Pinpoint Your Symptoms - Start Now Symptoms & Signs A-Z List Symptoms & Signs by Female Body Region Symptoms & Signs by Male Body Region

Topics Related to Septic Arthritis


Septic Arthritis
RSS FeedSpecialty RSS       Add to My Yahoo! What is this?














Health categories:

Slideshows | Diseases & Conditions | Symptoms & Signs | Procedures & Tests | Medications | Health & Living | News & Views | Medical Dictionary

Popular health centers:

Allergies | Arthritis | Cancer | Diabetes | Digestion | Healthy Kids | Heart | Men's Health | Mental Health | Women's Health | More...

Publications:

ePublications (PDFs) | XML News via RSS | Audio Podcasts | Email Newsletters

MedicineNet.com:

About Us | Privacy Policy | Search Help | Site Map | WebMD® | Medscape® | eMedicine® | eMedicineHealth® | RxList®

This website is certified by Health On the Net Foundation. Click to verify. This site complies to the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information:
verify here.

©1996-2009 MedicineNet, Inc. All rights reserved. Notices and Legal Disclaimer.
MedicineNet does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See additional information.