title: Comparison of characteristics of culture-negative pyogenic spondylitis and tuberculous spondylitis: a retrospective study.
abstract: Differences between the characteristics of culture positive pyogenic spondylitis (CPPS) and tuberculous spondylitis (TS) are well known. However, differences between the characteristics of culture negative pyogenic spondylitis (CNPS) and TS have not been reported; these would be more helpful in clinical practice especially when initial microbiologic examination of blood and/or biopsy tissue did not reveal the causative bacteria in patients with infectious spondylitis.
  
  
  
  We performed a retrospective review of the medical records of patients with CNPS and TS. We compared the characteristics of 71 patients with CNPS with those of 94 patients with TS.
  
  
  
  Patients with TS had more previous histories of tuberculosis (9.9 vs 22.3 %, p = 0.034), simultaneous tuberculosis other than of the spine (0 vs 47.9 %, p < 0.001), and positive results in the interferon-gamma release assay (27.6 vs 79.2 %, p < 0.001). Fever (15.5 vs. 31.8 %, p = 0.018), psoas abscesses (15.5 vs 33.0 %, p = 0.011), and paravertebral abscesses (49.3 vs. 74.5 %, p = 0.011) were also more prevalent in TS than CNPS.
  
  
  
  Different from or contrary to the previous comparisons between CPPS and TS, fever, psoas abscesses, and paravertebral abscesses are more common in patients with TS than in those with CNPS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 101 Daehak-ro Jongno-gu, Seoul, 110-744, Republic of Korea.|Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea.|Department of Internal Medicine, Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Chung-Jong
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 101 Daehak-ro Jongno-gu, Seoul, 110-744, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Eun Jung
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 101 Daehak-ro Jongno-gu, Seoul, 110-744, Republic of Korea.|Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Kyoung-Ho
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 101 Daehak-ro Jongno-gu, Seoul, 110-744, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Pyoeng Gyun
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Choe
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 101 Daehak-ro Jongno-gu, Seoul, 110-744, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Wan Beom
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 101 Daehak-ro Jongno-gu, Seoul, 110-744, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Ji Hwan
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Bang
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 101 Daehak-ro Jongno-gu, Seoul, 110-744, Republic of Korea.|Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Eu Suk
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 101 Daehak-ro Jongno-gu, Seoul, 110-744, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sang Won
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 101 Daehak-ro Jongno-gu, Seoul, 110-744, Republic of Korea.|Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hong-Bin
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 101 Daehak-ro Jongno-gu, Seoul, 110-744, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Myoung-Don
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 101 Daehak-ro Jongno-gu, Seoul, 110-744, Republic of Korea. molder@unitel.co.kr.
authors.forename: Nam Joong
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013166:Spondylitis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D014399:Tuberculosis, Spinal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology
keywords: Discitis; Epidural abscess; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Spinal tuberculosis; Spondylitis