title: Listeria monocytogenes arthritis of several joints.
abstract: A patient with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) developed an infection caused by Listeria monocytogenes in her left knee and both shoulder joints. The clinical presentation of the disease was rather indolent with relatively moderate joint symptoms. Moreover, the synovial fluid sample was only slightly turbid with a white blood cell count of 23.5 x 10(9)/1. As compared to the earlier reported cases of L. monocytogenes septic arthritis, our patient is unique because she had infection in several joints. The polyarticular joint involvement combined with the clinical symptoms resembling the activation of RA posed us diagnostic difficulties.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Turku University Central Hospital, Finland.
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Ukkonen
authors.forename: K P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Vuori
authors.forename: O P
authors.initials: OP
authors.lastname: Lehtonen
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Kotilainen
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001170:Arthritis, Infectious / Q000209:etiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000382:microbiology*; D008089:Listeria monocytogenes / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D008088:Listeriosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D012785:Shoulder Joint / Q000382:microbiology*