title: Infectious arthritis.
abstract: Infectious arthritis should be suspected in any patient with a swollen joint but especially in children, debilitated patients, immunocompromised persons, those with infection elsewhere (even if on antibiotics), and those with other types of arthritis or a prosthetic joint. Diagnosis depends on obtaining joint fluid for culture and Gram stain. Initial appropriate broad spectrum antibiotics are best narrowed to suit the individual organism, which 2 to 6 weeks of therapy can eradicate. Repeated needle aspiration or surgical drainage is usually helpful in lessening joint damage and achieving a more rapid resolution of symptoms.
authors.affiliation: St. Margaret Memorial Hospital, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: D B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Middleton
mesh_terms: D001170:Arthritis, Infectious / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans