title: Septic arthritis.
abstract: Septic arthritis has increased in incidence in the United States in the past two decades, and increasingly affects an older population with a greater burden of chronic illness and a higher risk for drug-resistant organisms. Successful management depends on a high diagnostic suspicion, empiric antibiotic treatment, and joint drainage. A bacteriologic diagnosis is more likely with inoculation into blood culture bottles than plating on solid media. As MRSA increases in prevalence in the community, empiric anti-biotic regimens increasingly need to be active against MRSA.
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases, Caritas Saint Elizabeth's Medical Center, Boston, MA 02135, USA. jrossmd@cchcs.org
authors.forename: John J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Ross
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001170:Arthritis, Infectious / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D012307:Risk Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome