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Septic Arthritis

Epidemiology American studies have estimated an occurrence of 20,000 cases of suppurative arthritis per year (7.8 per 100,000 person-years). The figures for Europe are similar. The incidence of disseminated gonococcal arthritis is 2.8 cases per 100,000 person-years. The disease is becoming increasingly common among the elderly with multiple morbidities, and in the immunosuppressed. The incidence of prosthetic joint infection among all recipients ranges from 2-10%.¹

Presentation

Symptoms The classic picture is a single swollen joint with pain on active or passive movement. Patients with septic arthritis usually present with a single swollen joint with pain on active or passive movement. The knee is involved in about 50% of the cases, but wrists, ankles, and hips are also commonly affected.² Septic arthritis may present as polyarticular arthritis in about 10% to 19% of patients. ³

It is commoner in patients with prior joint damage as in gout⁴, rheumatoid arthritis⁵ and systemic connective tissue disorders⁶. Fevers and rigors are present in the majority of cases, but their absence does not exclude the diagnosis.⁷ Bacteraemia is a common finding⁸, and when present may cause prostration, vomiting or hypotension.

Patients with septic arthritis of the sternoclavicular, acromioclavicular, sternocostal or manubrosternal joints may present with chest wall pain.⁹ Infection of the sacroiliac joint may present as buttock, hip or anterior thigh pain.¹

Apart from pre-existing joint disease, associated conditions include immunosuppressive disease¹⁰, recent steroid injection¹¹, sexually transmitted disease¹² and intravenous drug use¹³.

Signs The joint is usually swollen, warm, tender and exquisitely painful on movement. An effusion may be obvious. The knee is the commonest joint involved (50% of cases), followed by the hip (20%), shoulder (8%), ankle (7%) and wrists (7%).¹

Signs may be less marked or poorly localised in the elderly, immunocompromised, and drug abusers and in infections of the spine, hip and shoulder joints.¹

Infection of a prosthetic joint may show few signs until a drainage sinus develops.¹ Occasionally an abscess around the joint¹⁴, or loosening of the implant indicated by pain¹⁵.

Diagnosis

Septic arthritis should always be considered in patients presenting with one or a few acutely inflamed joints, particularly if the following risk factors are present.

• Intercurrent chronic joint disease - septic arthritis in rheumatoid arthritis is associated with an increased mortality of 25-30% due to delay in diagnosis and treatment, as it may mimic an acute flare-up of the disease. ¹⁶
• Previous accidental or iatrogenic trauma (e.g. prosthetic surgery)
• The presence of extra-articular symptoms, e.g. pyrexia, systemically unwell.
• A history of vascular invasion due to catheterisations or intravenous drug abuse.
• A history of sexually transmitted diseases or exposure to ticks (Lyme disease).
• Any condition likely to compromise the host's defence system - e.g. diabetes, liver disease, lymphoma, immunosuppressive treatment, hypogammaglobulinaemia.

The triad of fever (45-60% of cases), pain (75%) and impaired range of motion is typical. Fevers are usually low grade and rigors are only present in 20% of cases. ¹

History and examination may not only yield clues as to the diagnosis of septic arthritis but also to the type of infection that is present. 85%-90% of nongonoccocal suppurative arthritis affects one joint.¹⁷ Staph aureus is the commonest cause of polyarticular arthritis. Other causes include various viral infections, Lyme disease, gonococcal disease, reactive arthritis, and various noninfective conditions.

• Infection of the sternoclavicular⁹ and sacroiliac joints¹ is commonly caused by Group B streptococci infection.
• Gonococcal disease usually presents with fever, arthralgia, multiple skin lesions (dermatitis-arthritis syndrome), and tenosynovitis of the hand joints, knees, wrists, ankles, and elbows, but it may also present as a monoarticular arthritis in which these other features are absent.¹
• Lyme disease (caused by infection with Borrelia burgdorferi¹⁸, may cause swelling disproportionate to the level of pain. It should be suspected in patients with a history of tick bite or who have travelled to endemic areas and present with transient polyarthralgia, typical erythema chronicum migrans, and systemic symptoms ¹Joint inflammation may present many months after initial infection, and occurs in 60% of untreated patients, mainly affecting the large joints, commonly the knee.¹
• Hip joint infection may cause pain which does not localise directly and swelling may not be obvious. Specific examination techniques may be helpful such as the Fabere manoeuvre (pain in the hip on sequential flexion, abduction, external rotation, extension of the joint with the contralateral knee flexed¹⁹) may be required.
• Sacro-iliac joint infection often presents as buttock, anterior thigh or hip pain. Direct pressure may elicit tenderness. Other diagnostic test is the Gaenslen manoeuvre (pain in the SI joint on hyperextension of the hip and leg while the patient is lying down)²⁰.
• Reactive arthritis (including Reiter's syndrome, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and arthritis associated with inflammatory bowel disease) often presents with inflammation in a few large joints, distributed asymmetrically²¹. It may develop several weeks after the original infection has resolved, and there may be few concurrent symptoms. Other symptoms of the disease process such as gastrointestinal or genitourinary symptoms, skin lesions, or uveitis may yield diagnostic clues.¹
• Viral arthritis (eg. rubella, parvovirus, hepatitis C, HIV) often presents with symmetrical involvement of smaller joints such as the hands, accompanied by a rash²².
• Tuberculous arthritis may be associated with a joint which feels 'boggy' on palpation due to granulomatous involvement²³. The symptoms may be quite indolent and the diagnosis may be delayed for many years.¹
• Gout and pseudo-gout present with pain, inflammation and occasionally spikey fevers and chills.¹
• Prosthetic joint infection may exhibit a prolonged low-grade course with gradually increasing pain. There is often no significant swelling or fever, although high-grade fever, focal swelling and redness occasionally occur. Cellulitis and sinus development are common presenting features.¹
• Infective endocarditis may be complicated by septic arthritis or bone infection in 15% of cases. About 15% of patients with infective endocarditis have septic arthritis or bone infection. These patients may also present with sterile synovitis or arthralgias mimicking septic arthritis.²⁴

Investigations

Synovial Fluid Examination If synovial fluid can be aspirated, it should be sent for leukocyte count, gram staining, polarising microscopy to exclude crystal arthropathy, and culture. Marked leucocytosis may be seen in mycobacterium infection. Culture is the only reliable method of evaluating a potentially infected joint. ¹ Since time is of the essence, treatment should not be delayed for the results of culture but should be based on Gram stain and polarising microscopy results^1,25. An exception to this is where there is a signficant risk of infection elsewhere that could lead to bacteraemia, (e.g. pyelonephritis or pneumonia). Fluid should always be sent for culture, irrespective of the screening result, as Gram staining is only 60% sensitive.²⁶, and a joint damaged by crystal arthropathy may well have co-existent infection. Culture is 80% sensitive for tuberculous infection.¹
Additional staining or cultures may be required as clinically indicated from the list of differential diagnoses.

Synovial Tissue Culture This is predominantly indicated where fungal or mycobacterial infection is suspected.²⁷ Culture is 94% sensitive for tubercular infection.¹

Blood Cultures At least two blood cultures should be taken to exclude bacteraemia.¹

Cultures for gonoccocal infection¹ Rectal, cervical, urethral and pharyngeal swabs should be taken if this condition is suspected.

Polymerase Chain Reaction This is a method of detecting bacterial DNA²⁸ and has been used with some success in the diagnosis of reactive arthritis due to Yersinia species, B burgdorferi, Chlamydia species, N gonorrhoea, and Ureaplasma species.²⁹ The disadvantage of this test is that it cannot be used to distinguish between live and dead organisms and it is susceptible to contamination¹ .

Tests for Lyme Disease Silver staining of synovial fluid is positive in approximately 5% of cases¹. Diagnosis in the early stages is based on the clinical picture (particularly the rash) in a patient with tick exposure a history of travel to an endemic area, and laboratory testing may only be helpful in the later stages³⁰. Even then, obtaining accurate laboratory confirmation may prove challenging. ³¹

Inflammatory Markers and Immunology An ESR or CPR may be useful in following response to therapy, as well as detecting an acute process in chronically inflamed joints. Serological tests for diagnosis of various rheumatological disorders and vasculitides should be arranged as clinically appropriate.¹

Imaging

• Plain Radiographs These are of limited value, and may be normal in the first few days of the disease, but they may show underlying osteomyelitis or periarticular osteomyelitis of the joint itself. Fat pad displacement, swelling of capsule and soft tissue around the affected joint, and in some cases joint space widening due to localised oedema and effusion may be seen. In later stages, diffuse joint space narrowing due to cartilage destruction may be seen, and plain radiographs may also be used to identify inadequately treated septic arthritis with generalised joint destruction, joint fusion, subchondral bone loss followed by reactive sclerosis, or calcification of periarticular tissue³². The linear deposition of calcium pyrophosphate can sometimes be detected on plain radiograph and is a pointer to the diagnosis of pseudogout¹
• Ultrasonography This is not as sensitive as MRI or CT scan, but is an inexpensive non-invasive method that can be helpful in showing intra- and extra-articular abnormalities not obvious on plain Xray, and it can detect early effusions, and guide joint aspiration and drainage procedures.^31,32
• CT and MRI scanning These are the most sensitive methods for diagnosing perarticular abscesses, joint effusions and osteomyelitis. They are usually reserved for cases of diagnostic difficulty and in specific clinical situations - e.g. sacroiliac or sternoclavicular joint infection, to exclude extension into the mediastinum or pelvis. ^31,33
• Radionuclide scans Technetium Tc 99m, gallium Ga 67, and indium In 111 leukocyte scans are used to localise areas of inflammation, and although they cannot distinguish infections from sterile processes, they may be helpful in identifying septic arthritis in relatively sequestered areas such as the hip and sacroiliac joints.¹ A refinement of this technique, using radiolabelled antibiotic, is proving to be more specific.³⁴

Investigation of the Prosthetic Joint Plain radiographs may reveal transcortical sinus tracts and new subperiosteal bone growth¹. Contrast arthrography can demonstrate loosening of the prosthesis, synovial outpouchings and abscesses³⁵. CT and MRI scans may also be helpful,³⁵ as may scintigraphy³⁶. No single imaging technique is 100% sensitive, and may need to be combined with other laboratory, histopathological and microbiological techniques.³⁶

Treatment

Antibiotic Therapy Treatment should be started emipirically before the results of cultures are known, as evidence suggests that a better functional result is obtained the sooner an antibiotic is commenced². Gram-staining, the clinical picture and the background of the patient should act as a guide. 40-50% of Gram stains fail to reveal any microoganisms, in which case the individual's age and sexual activity become major determinants as to the likelihood of a gonoccocal infection. In the absences of infection elsewhere, the antibiotic should at least cover Staph aureas and streptococci. A microbiologist should also be consulted as the choice of therapy this should be based on resistance patterns in the local hospitals and community. MRSA is becoming an increasing problem, as is penicillin resistance in group B streptococci. Penicillin plus gentamicin, or later generation cephalasporins are often used¹. Treatment is generally administered intravenously for 3-4 weeks, except in the case of gonococcal infection, where a switch to oral antibiotics is often made after two weeks¹. Animal experiments suggest no benefit in instilling antibiotic intra-articularly³⁷.

Other Medical Therapy If the condition fails to respond to 5 days' treatment with an appropriate antibiotic (as evidenced by persistent fever, positive cultures or synovial purulence), the therapeutic approach should be reassesed. Synovial fluid should be re-examined for crystals, Lyme disease serology should be arranged. Consideration should be given to synovial biopsy to exclude fungal or mycobacterial infection, and to the possibility of reactive arthritis requiring the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatories.¹

Joint Drainage Repeated percutaneous aspiration may be required if the infection does not respond to antibiotic treatment, sometimes two or three times a day^1,2. Joints difficult to access (e.g. hip, shoulder, and sacroiliac joints) may require ultrasound-guided needle aspiration³⁸ or open arthrotomy³⁹. Surgical drainage may be required in any infected joint which does not respond to medical treatment, although the decision as to whether to use repeated needle aspirations or arthroscopic lavage is chiefly anecdotal and not supported by a large comparative evidence base⁴⁰. Patients with underlying disease such as rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes or the immunosuppressed, benefit from earlier surgical intervention². Gonococcal joints rarely require drainage¹.

Splinting The limb should be splinted in the position of function (knees in extension, elbows at 90 degrees, wrists in neutral to slight extension, hips in balanced suspension in neutral rotation). Once the infection is under control, immediate joint mobilisation will promote healing of the articular cartilage and prevent contractures. ⁴¹

Treatment of Infected Prosthetic Joints The commonest prosthetic joints to get infected are elbow, shoulder and ankle joints (6-9%) followed by hips and knees (0.5-2%)2. Early infection (less than 12 weeks after implantation) is usually caused by skin pathogens such as coagulase-negative staphylococcus. It can often be cured medically providing there is no evidence of periarticular soft tissue involvement or joint instability.⁴² Late-onset infections (more than 1 year after implantation) are usually caused by haematogenous spread of common organisms such as E.coli, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staph epidermis and Staph aureus⁴³. Prosthetic material combined with cement forms an ideal avascular culture medium for bacteria away from the immunologic defenses of the body². A Removal of the prosthesis, six weeks of antibiotic therapy, and then replacement with a new prosthesis achieves a 70-100% success rate⁴⁴. A compromise is to exchange the infected joint with a new one in a one-stage process with concurrent use of antibiotic cement and antibiotic therapy. A 90% success rate has been achieved with this method^2,45.

Prognosis

• Infection of the shoulder or hip.
• Age greater than 60 years.
• Underlying rheumatoid arthritis.
• Delay of 7 days or more in instituting therapy.
• Positive findings on synovial fluid cultures after 7 days of appropriate therapy.
• Thirty per cent of cases of reactive arthritis may become chronic.

References Used

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Acknowledgements EMIS is grateful to Dr Laurence Knott for authoring the latest changes to this article. The final copy has passed peer review of the independent Mentor GP authoring team. ©EMIS 2006.

Last issued 30 Aug 2006