Septic Arthritis Caused by Pasteurella multocida: A Source Control Issue.

Pasteurella multocida is known to be the most commonly isolated pathogen of soft tissue infections caused by cat or dog-inflicted wounds. We present a case of a 66-year-old female who was bitten by a cat, prescribed antibiotic therapy outpatient, and developed a septic metacarpophalangeal joint despite appropriate antibiotics. A failure to improve with appropriate antibiotic therapy should raise suspicion of a source control problem and prompt surgical intervention, a principle that is highlighted in this case. Pasteurella multocida septic arthritis of the fingers manifests in less than 4% of cases, making this case a rare presentation of a septic joint, which necessitated surgical management.

Executive summary: Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of septic arthritis in adults and children, developed by the GEIO (SEIMC), SEIP and SECOT / Resumen ejecutivo: Guía de diagnóstico y tratamiento de la artritis séptica en adultos y niños de GEIO (SEIMC), SEIP y SECOT

Infection of a native joint, commonly referred to as septic arthritis, is a medical emergency because of the risk of joint destruction and subsequent sequelae. Its diagnosis requires a high level of suspicion. These guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of septic arthritis in children and adults are intended for use by any physician caring for patients with suspected or confirmed septic arthritis. They have been developed by a multidisciplinary panel with representatives from the Bone and Joint Infections Study Group (GEIO) belonging to the Spanish Society of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology (SEIMC), the Spanish Society of Paediatric Infections (SEIP) and the Spanish Society of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology (SECOT), and two rheumatologists. The recommendations are based on evidence derived from a systematic literature review and, failing that, on the opinion of the experts who prepared these guidelines. A detailed description of the background, methods, summary of evidence, the rationale supporting each recommendation, and gaps in knowledge can be found online in the complete document.(AU)

La infección de una articulación nativa, generalmente denominada artritis séptica, constituye una urgencia médica por el riesgo de destrucción articular y las consecuentes secuelas. Su diagnóstico requiere un alto nivel de sospecha. Esta guía de diagnóstico y tratamiento de la artritis séptica en niños y adultos está destinada a cualquier médico que atienda pacientes con sospecha de artritis séptica o artritis séptica confirmada. La guía ha sido elaborada por un panel multidisciplinar en el que están representados el Grupo de Estudio de Infecciones Osteoarticulares (GEIO) de la Sociedad Española de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiología Clínica (SEIMC), la Sociedad Española de Infectología Pediátrica (SEIP) y la Sociedad Española de Cirugía Ortopédica y Traumatología (SECOT); además han participado dos reumatólogos. Las recomendaciones se basan en la evidencia proporcionada por una revisión sistemática de la literatura y, en su defecto, en la opinión de los expertos que han elaborado la presente guía. En el texto completo online se hace una descripción detallada de los antecedentes, métodos, resumen de la evidencia, fundamentos que apoyan cada recomendación y las lagunas de conocimiento existentes.(AU)

16s RNA-based metagenomics reveal previously unreported gut microbiota associated with reactive arthritis and undifferentiated peripheral spondyloarthritis.

OBJECTIVES: Reactive arthritis (ReA) provides a unique opportunity to comprehend how a mucosal infection leads to inflammatory arthritis at a distant site without the apparent invasion of the pathogen. Unfortunately, conventional stool cultures after ReA provide limited information, and there is a dearth of metagenomic studies in ReA. The objective of this study was to identify gut microbiota associated with the development of ReA. METHODS: Patients with ReA or undifferentiated peripheral spondyloarthritis (UpSpA) were included if they presented within 4 weeks of the onset of the current episode of arthritis. Metagenomic DNA was extracted from the stools of these patients and of 36 age- and sex-similar controls. Sequencing and analysis were done using a standard 16S ribosomal pipeline. RESULTS: Of 55 patients, there was no difference between the gut microbiota of postdiarrheal ReA(n = 20) and of upSpA (n = 35). Comparing the gut microbiota of patients vs healthy controls, the patients had significantly higher alpha and beta diversity measures. After stringency filters, Proteobacteria had high abundance while Firmicutes had lesser as compared with the controls. Six families were overexpressed in patients, while another five were overexpressed in controls. Sixteen genera and 18 species were significantly different between patients and controls. At the species level there was strong association of Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium septicum Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, Empedobacter brevis, Roseburia hominis, Bacillus velezensis, and Crassaminicella with ReA. CONCLUSION: The microbiota of classical gut-associated ReA and upSpA is similar. Patients have higher diversities in their gut microbiota compared with healthy controls. Both known and previously unreported species associated with ReA/upSpA were identified.

Targeted transcriptomic analysis of synovial tissues from horses with septic arthritis treated with immune-activated mesenchymal stromal cells reveals induction of T-cell response pathways.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate mechanistically the reported beneficial effects of immune-activated mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC) therapy to treat equine septic arthritis, leveraging Nanostring technology. ANIMALS: 8 Quarter Horses with induced tibiotarsal Staphylococcus aureus septic arthritis treated IA with either Toll-like receptor-3 agonist polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid-activated MSCs + vancomycin antimicrobials (TLR-MSC-VAN; n = 4) or antimicrobials (VAN; 4). METHODS: Synovial tissues were collected and fixed in neutral-buffered 10% formalin, and formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded synovial and osteochondral tissues were sequenced using a custom-designed 200-gene equine Nanostring nCounter immune panel to directly quantify expression of key immune and cartilage-related genes. Immunohistochemistry to detect CD3+ T cells was performed on synovial tissues to further quantify T-cell infiltration in TLR-MSC-VAN- versus VAN-treated joints. RESULTS: Comparison of synovial transcriptomes between groups revealed moderate changes in differential gene expression, with upregulated expression of 9 genes and downregulated expression of 17 genes with fold change ≥ 2 or ≤ -2 and a significant false discovery rate-adjusted P value of ≤ .05. The most upregulated genes in TLR-MSC-VAN-treated horses included those related to T-lymphocyte recruitment and function, while pathways related to innate immune activation and inflammation were significantly downregulated. Immunohistochemistry and quantitation of CD3+ T-cell infiltrates revealed a numerically greater infiltrate in synovial tissues of TLR-MSC-VAN-treated horses, which did not reach statistical significance in this small sample set (P = .20). CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Targeted transcriptomic analyses using an equine Nanostring immune and cartilage health panel provided new mechanistic insights into how innate and adaptive immune cells within synovial tissues respond to TLR-activated MSC treatment when used to treat septic arthritis.

Executive summary: Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of septic arthritis in adults and children, developed by the GEIO (SEIMC), SEIP and SECOT.

Infection of a native joint, commonly referred to as septic arthritis, is a medical emergency because of the risk of joint destruction and subsequent sequelae. Its diagnosis requires a high level of suspicion. These guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of septic arthritis in children and adults are intended for use by any physician caring for patients with suspected or confirmed septic arthritis. They have been developed by a multidisciplinary panel with representatives from the Bone and Joint Infections Study Group (GEIO) belonging to the Spanish Society of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology (SEIMC), the Spanish Society of Paediatric Infections (SEIP) and the Spanish Society of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology (SECOT), and two rheumatologists. The recommendations are based on evidence derived from a systematic literature review and, failing that, on the opinion of the experts who prepared these guidelines. A detailed description of the background, methods, summary of evidence, the rationale supporting each recommendation, and gaps in knowledge can be found online in the complete document.

Incidence and Prevalence of Septic Arthritis in Thailand: A Database from the Ministry of Public Health.

Background: A better understanding of the epidemiological profile of septic arthritis or pyogenic arthritis in Thais could improve care and provide information for better infectious control. We aimed to determine the incidence and prevalence of septic arthritis in Thailand between 2017 and 2020. Methods: A descriptive epidemiological study was performed using demographic data from patients over 18 years of age having a primary diagnosis of M00 pyogenic arthritis between 2017 and 2020. Data were sourced from the Information and Communication Technology Center, Ministry of Public Health database. The incidence and prevalence of septic arthritis were calculated, and their respective 95% confidence interval (CI). Results: The number of patients with septic arthritis in 2017 was 26,878 from a total Thai population of 65,204,797. The prevalence of septic arthritis in 2017 was 41.2 per 100,000 (95% CI 40.7-41.7). The prevalence of septic arthritis among women was slightly higher than among men (42.2 vs 40.2 per 100,000). The incidence of septic arthritis slightly increased from 2018 to 2019 but was stable in 2020 (22.6, 23.3, and 23.1 per 100,000 person-years, respectively). The incidence was highest in the southern region between 2018 and 2019 but highest in the northeast in 2020. The peak was in the elderly population 60 and older (56.4, 59.5, and 57.3 per 100,000 person-years in 2018, 2019, and 2020, respectively). The incidence increased with age and the maximum rate was in those ≥ 70 years (70.2 per 100,000 person-years in 2019). Conclusion: Septic arthritis commonly presents in the elderly and is comparable between men and women. The disease was found mainly in the northeastern and southern regions. The incidence remained stable during the study period.

Disseminated Staphylococcus aureus Infection in an Adolescent Patient Following a Traditional Phlebotomy Procedure.

Al-Fashdu is a well-known Islamic medicine-based alternative treatment, and it has been widely practiced with the aim of treating certain health issues in various countries. Unfortunately, this therapy can lead to certain complications, including life-threatening infections. We report a case of a 12-year-old male patient who developed a disseminated Staphylococcus aureus infection following Al-Fashdu therapy. He was treated with surgical drainage and intravenous antibiotics. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a disseminated Staphylococcus aureus infection following Al-Fashdu therapy in an adolescent patient.

Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic considerations for optimizing antimicrobial therapy used to treat bone and joint infections: an evidence-based algorithmic approach.

INTRODUCTION: Bone and joint infections (BJIs) are a major health concern causing remarkable morbidity and mortality. However, which antimicrobial treatment could be the best according to specific clinical scenarios and/or to the pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) features remains an unmet clinical need. This multidisciplinary opinion article aims to develop evidence-based algorithms for empirical and targeted antibiotic therapy of patients affected by BJIs. AREAS COVERED: A multidisciplinary team of four experts had several rounds of assessment for developing algorithms devoted to empirical and targeted antimicrobial therapy of BJIs. A literature search was performed on PubMed-MEDLINE (until April 2023) to provide evidence for supporting therapeutic choices. Four different clinical scenarios were structured according to specific infection types (i.e. vertebral osteomyelitis, prosthetic joint infections, infected non-unions and other chronic osteomyelitis, and infectious arthritis), need or not of surgical intervention or revision, isolation or not of clinically relevant bacterial pathogens from blood and/or tissue cultures, and PK/PD features of antibiotics. EXPERT OPINION: The proposed therapeutic algorithms were based on a multifaceted approach considering the peculiar features of each antibiotic (spectrum of activity, PK/PD properties, bone penetration rate, and anti-biofilm activity), and could be hopefully helpful in improving clinical outcome of BJIs.

Value of ultrasound-guided synovial biopsy for the diagnosis of infectious arthritis.

Objectives: To determine the value of ultrasound (US)-guided synovial biopsy for the diagnosis of infectious arthritis that could not be detected by other modalities. Material and methods: This descriptive study was conducted among 37 patients with arthritis (3 with shoulder arthritis, 2 with elbow arthritis, 7 with wrist arthritis, 15 with hip arthritis, 4 with knee arthritis, and 5 with ankle arthritis) who underwent US-guided synovial biopsy at Hanoi Medical University Hospital for the diagnosis of infec-tious arthritis that could not be detected by infection laboratory tests, imaging, and/or joint fluid culture. The results of US-guided synovial biopsy were positive for infectious arthritis when those of pathologi-cal analyses, bacterial cultures, and/or polymerase chain reaction test for tuberculosis were positive. The final diagnosis established when the patients were discharged from the hospital was compared with the US-guided synovial biopsy results to calculate the sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of infectious arthritis. Results: The median age of the patients was 60 years (range: 22-79 years), and two thirds were women. Infectious arthritis was determined as the final diagnosis in 18 patients. There was no significant difference in the infection laboratory test results, synovial thickness, or magnetic resonance imaging features apart from soft tissue abscess between the infectious and non-infectious arthritis groups (P > 0.05). The US-guided synovial biopsy results were positive in 17 patients. Compared with the sensitivity and specificity of the final diagnosis, those of the US-guided synovial biopsy results for the diagnosis of infectious arthritis were 94.4% and 100%, respectively. The Numerical Rating Scale score was ≤3 in most patients. There were neither vascular nor neurologic complications among the patients. Conclusion: Imaging features and laboratory test results are non-specific for infectious arthritis. US-guided synovial biopsy is a well-tolerated, safe method that has a high value for the diagnosis of infectious arthritis. This modality should then be recommended for patients with unclassified arthritis.

Guillain-Barre syndrome complicating knee infectious arthritis.

Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is a rare immune status, which affects the nerves, leading to muscle weakness and tingling, and, in some cases, paralysis. Our case showed that GBS may happen after knee infectious arthritis.

[Acute monoarthritis in a third level hospital]. / Estudio de los pacientes con monoartritis aguda en un hospital de tercer nivel.

INTRODUCTION: Acute monoarthritis (AM) represents a relevant cause of morbidity that requires prompt medical care. The study of synovial fluid becomes relevant to allow a rapid diagnostic approach. The main objective of the study was to determine the frequency and clinical-analytical characteristics of episodes of AM and acute bursitis evaluated in a hospital during a period of 6 years. METHODS: Cross-sectional retrospective analytical study in a hospital at Córdoba, Argentina. All episodes of acute monoarthritis and bursitis that occurred in patients aged 18 years or older between 2012 and 2017 were included. AM in pregnant women and chronic monoarthritis were excluded. RESULTS: One hundred and eighty episodes of AM and 12 of acute bursitis were included. Among the AM, 120 (66.7%) occurred in male patients and the average age was 62.1±16.9 years. The main cause of AM was septic, identifying 70 (36%) cases, followed by microcrystalline AM identify 54 (28%) cases, which corresponded to gout and calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate (CPPD) with 27 (14%) cases each one. Monosodium urate crystals were identified in 26 (14.3%) patients, CPPD in 28 (15.6%) and cholesterol in 1 (0.6%). DISCUSSION: The main cause of AM was septic arthritis, followed by microcrystalline AM (gout and secondary to CPPD). The main affected joint was the knee, followed by the shoulder. Synovial fluid analysis was a key element when making the differential diagnosis between the different causes of acute monoarthritis and bursitis.

Introducción: La monoartritis aguda (MA) representa una causa relevante de morbilidad que requiere de atención médica oportuna: El estudio del líquido sinovial constituye un elemento clave para su diagnóstico. El objetivo del estudio fue determinar la frecuencia y características clínicas-analíticas de los episodios de MA y bursitis agudas valoradas en un hospital durante un período de 6 años. Métodos: Estudio analítico retrospectivo de corte transversal en un hospital de Córdoba, Argentina. Se identificaron todos los episodios de monoartritis y bursitis agudas que ocurrieron en pacientes de =18 años entre 2012 y 2017. Se excluyeron los cuadros de MA en embarazadas y las monoartritis crónicas. Resultados: Se incluyeron 180 episodios de MA y 12 de bursitis aguda. Entre las MA, 120 (66.7%) ocurrieron en hombres, la edad promedio fue 62.1±16.9 años. La principal causa de MA fue séptica, identificándose 70 (36%) casos, seguida la secundaria a microcristales con 54 episodios (28%) que correspondieron 27 (14%) a MA por gota y 27 (14%) a MA por depósitos de pirofosfato de calcio dihidratado (CPPD). Se identificaron cristales de urato monosódico en 26 (14.3%) pacientes, CPPD en 28 (15.6%) y de colesterol en 1 (0.6%). Discusión: La principal causa de MA fue séptica, seguida de la secundaria a microcristales (gota y secundaria a CPPD). La principal articulación afectada fue la rodilla, seguida del hombro. El análisis del líquido sinovial fue un elemento clave a la hora de poder realizar el diagnóstico diferencial entre las distintas causas de monoartritis aguda y bursitis.

Subclinical ankle joint tuberculous arthritis - The role of scintigraphy: A case series.

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis remains a complicated problem. A lack of awareness accompanied by difficulty in diagnosis hinders the management of tuberculosis. Delayed management, particularly in osteoarticular regions, results in unnecessary procedures, including joint-sacrificing surgery. CASE SUMMARY: Three cases of subclinical ankle joint tuberculosis without clear signs of tuberculosis were presented. The efficacy of technetium-99m-ethambutol scintigraphy in diagnosing early-stage tuberculous arthritis is reported. CONCLUSION: The reports suggested that scintigraphy is recommended to diagnose subclinical tuberculous arthritis, especially in tuberculosis endemic regions.

An artificial intelligence framework for the diagnosis of prosthetic joint infection based on 99mTc-MDP dynamic bone scintigraphy.

OBJECTIVES: Dynamic bone scintigraphy (DBS) is the first widely reliable and simple imaging modality in nuclear medicine that can be used to diagnose prosthetic joint infection (PJI). We aimed to apply artificial intelligence to diagnose PJI in patients after total hip or knee arthroplasty (THA or TKA) based on 99mTc-methylene diphosphonate (99mTc-MDP) DBS. METHODS: A total of 449 patients (255 THAs and 194 TKAs) with a final diagnosis were retrospectively enrolled and analyzed. The dataset was divided into a training and validation set and an independent test set. A customized framework composed of two data preprocessing algorithms and a diagnosis model (dynamic bone scintigraphy effective neural network, DBS-eNet) was compared with mainstream modified classification models and experienced nuclear medicine specialists on corresponding datasets. RESULTS: In the fivefold cross-validation test, diagnostic accuracies of 86.48% for prosthetic knee infection (PKI) and 86.33% for prosthetic hip infection (PHI) were obtained using the proposed framework. On the independent test set, the diagnostic accuracies and AUC values were 87.74% and 0.957 for PKI and 86.36% and 0.906 for PHI, respectively. The customized framework demonstrated better overall diagnostic performance compared to other classification models and showed superiority in diagnosing PKI and consistency in diagnosing PHI compared to specialists. CONCLUSION: The customized framework can be used to effectively and accurately diagnose PJI based on 99mTc-MDP DBS. The excellent diagnostic performance of this method indicates its potential clinical practical value in the future. KEY POINTS: • The proposed framework in the current study achieved high diagnostic performance for prosthetic knee infection (PKI) and prosthetic hip infection (PHI) with AUC values of 0.957 and 0.906, respectively. • The customized framework demonstrated better overall diagnostic performance compared to other classification models. • Compared to experienced nuclear medicine physicians, the customized framework showed superiority in diagnosing PKI and consistency in diagnosing PHI.

A case of septic arthritis of the hip in Central Plains, China, during the Western Han Dynasty (3rd century BCE-1st century CE).

OBJECTIVE: Septic arthritis is not commonly reported in paleopathology. This study aims to provide a differential diagnosis of septic arthritis by looking at a case from ancient China. We also aim to add to the current literature on septic arthritis in paleopathology. MATERIALS: One adult male skeleton recovered from the Dapuzi Cemetery, Shaanxi, dating to the Western Han Dynasty (3rd century BCE-1st century CE). METHODS: Macroscopic observations were conducted. RESULTS: The lytic appearance and massive new bone formation on the left acetabulum of M142 are compatible with septic arthritis. The hip pathology greatly influenced his stature. The two femur shafts present different degrees of robusticity. He also showed severe osteoarthritis. CONCLUSIONS: The individual suffered from septic arthritis of the hip, of unknown cause, for a long period, which greatly influenced his daily life. Complications included osteoarthritis, shortened stature, and difficulties in walking. SIGNIFICANCE: This study offers a new case of septic arthritis and provides insight into the people who guarded the royal tombs in the West Han Dynasty. LIMITATIONS: The skeleton is not well-preserved, limiting observations of bony changes to other areas of the body.

Synovitis due to Histoplasma capsulatum: a case series and literature review.

Musculoskeletal manifestations of Histoplasma capsulatum infection are uncommon but can mimic inflammatory arthritis. Early diagnosis of this complication is of critical importance in the era of potent immunosuppression for rheumatologic diseases. We conducted a retrospective chart review for patients with histoplasmosis and tenosynovitis, synovitis, or arthritis, diagnosed and treated at our institution between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2019. We also reviewed the relevant literature. Four patients with biopsy-proven, culture-proven histoplasma tenosynovitis were identified at our institution. All four patients had wrist or hand involvement in an asymmetric pattern, and one patient had lower extremity involvement as well. Two patients were not immunocompromised at baseline. One patient underwent a lengthy evaluation and received immunosuppression for 4 years without improvement prior to the diagnosis of histoplasmosis. Histoplasma serologic tests varied among patients with localized infection. Pathologic findings revealed non-caseating granulomatous inflammation. Three patients recovered after 6-12 months of antifungal treatment. One patient still had recurrent infection despite 20 months of treatment. Histoplasma tenosynovitis and synovitis are rare causes of inflammatory arthritis. Infectious causes should be considered and carefully evaluated when patients present with asymmetric oligoarthritis. Early recognition is crucial for successful treatment, especially in patients with concomitant rheumatologic diseases receiving immunosuppressive treatment.

Infectious arthritis and the temporomandibular joint. A review.

OBJECTIVE: Microorganisms can cause acute infectious arthritis, chronic infectious arthritis, or reactive inflammatory arthritis. The aim of this study is to perform a narrative review of the pathophysiology, etiology, and diagnostic features of infectious arthritis and TMJ infectious arthritis. METHODS: A search of the literature was performed using Medline, Scielo, Embase, and Google Scholar databases. The terms employed for the search were "Temporomandibular Joint Disorders" and "Infectious Arthritis"; or "Septic Arthritis"; or "Bacterial, Fungal, or Viral Arthritis." Over three hundred articles were screened for eligibility. RESULTS: The selected articles were utilized to perform a narrative review of the general aspects of infectious arthritis and infectious arthritis affecting the TMJ. CONCLUSION: Infectious arthritis is a rare, yet very morbid, form of arthritis. Understanding general aspects of joint infections and specific features of TMJ infectious arthritis is imperative for an adequate diagnosis.

Assessment and diagnosis of the acute hot joint: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Prompt diagnosis of septic arthritis (SA) in acute native hot joints is essential for avoiding unnecessary antibiotics and hospital admissions. We evaluated the utility of synovial fluid (SF) and serum tests in differentiating causes of acute hot joints. METHODS: We performed a systematic literature review of diagnostic testing for acute hot joints. Articles were included if studying ≥1 serum or SF test(s) for an acute hot joint, compared with clinical assessment and SF microscopy and culture. English-language articles only were included, without date restriction. The following were recorded for each test, threshold and diagnosis: sensitivity, specificity, positive/negative predictive values and likelihood ratios. For directly comparable tests (i.e. identical fluid, test and threshold), bivariate random-effects meta-analysis was used to pool sensitivity, specificity, and areas under the curves. RESULTS: A total of 8443 articles were identified, and 49 were ultimately included. Information on 28 distinct markers in SF and serum, differentiating septic from non-septic joints, was extracted. Most had been tested at multiple diagnostic thresholds, yielding a total of 27 serum markers and 156 SF markers. Due to heterogeneity of study design, outcomes and thresholds, meta-analysis was possible for only eight SF tests, all differentiating septic from non-septic joints. Of these, leucocyte esterase had the highest pooled sensitivity [0.94 (0.70, 0.99)] with good pooled specificity [0.74 (0.67, 0.81)]. CONCLUSION: Our review demonstrates many single tests, individually with diagnostic utility but suboptimal accuracy for exclusion of native joint infection. A combination of several tests with or without a stratification score is required for optimizing rapid assessment of the hot joint.

Artritis séptica en el niño, resultados del tratamiento quirúrgico: revisión bibliográfica / Septic arthritis in children, results of surgical treatment: bibliographic review / Artrite séptica em crianças, resultados do tratamento cirúrgico: revisão bibliográfica

Introducción: A pesar de su baja incidencia, las infecciones osteoarticulares pueden generar complicaciones y secuelas devastadoras para el niño en desarrollo con su esqueleto en crecimiento. El manejo general de la patología debe ser multidisciplinario, asociando la terapia antibiótica y un tratamiento quirúrgico adecuado si se requiere. El objetivo de nuestro trabajo es analizar los resultados sobre las diferentes opciones terapéuticas quirúrgicas (punción-aspiración, lavado artroscópico o lavado abierto) en el tratamiento de la artritis séptica en la edad, mediante la realización de revisión sistematizada de la bibliografía. Metodología: Realizamos una búsqueda bibliográfica online en los buscador PubMed y en la Biblioteca Virtual en Salud (BVS) utilizando los siguientes términos MESH: ("Arthritis, Infectious/surgery"(Mesh) OR "Arthritis, Infectious/therapy"(Mesh)), utilizando filtros de búsqueda y aplicando criterios de inclusión y exclusión según nuestro objetivo. De los artículos incluidos se obtuvieron entre otros los siguiente datos: país, año, nivel de evidencia, número de pacientes con artritis séptica, articulación afectada, edad media, seguimiento promedio, tipo de tratamiento quirúrgico realizado de inicio y sus resultados según cada autor : complicaciones (de la enfermedad y del procedimiento ) y/o secuelas (en base a evolución clínica y radiológica), necesidad de un tratamiento quirúrgico adicional ante la falla del método terapéutico inicial y además de conclusiones relevantes de cada autor. Resultados: Se incluyeron un total de 22 artículos: 8 para el lavado por artroscopia, 6 para el lavado por artrocentesis, 4 para el lavado por artrotomía, ademas de otros 4 artículos que realizaba un análisis comparativo: dos de ellos entre lavado artroscópico y lavado por artrotomía y los otros dos entre lavado por artrocentesis y lavado abierto. El lavado artroscópico se encuentra en lo más alto de nuestra revisión ya que presenta los mejores resultados con solo un 6% complicaciones y/o secuelas (en solo 4 de los 8 artículos incluidos), con un total de 13 pacientes (8,7% ) que requirieron un tratamiento adicional (5 artrotomías y 8 un nueva lavado artroscópico ) y se destacan ademas 3 artículos con un 100% de buenos resultados, en los que no se presentaron complicaciones y/o secuelas, ni se requirió un segundo lavado, mientras que solo en 3 trabajos, de los 8, se necesitó de la artrotomía adicional para la resolución final. Para el lavado por artrocentesis se obtuvo el menor porcentaje de complicaciones y/o secuelas con un 2%, (reportado en tres de los 6 trabajos), y solo el 9,7% necesitaron de un segundo método terapéutico diferente a la aspiración articular (23 artrotomías y 2 artroscopias), destacando ademas la repetición de la punción (hasta 4 veces) como dentro de la directiva terapéutica del autor en dos artículos, y que para éste método se encontró el mayor número de pacientes. El lavado por artrotomía como método inicial obtuvo los peores resultados, con un 12% de complicaciones y/o secuelas y un 22,6% de lavados adicionales. Conclusiones: A pesar de que el lavado abierto por artrotomía se toma como el ¨ gold-standard ¨, teniendo indicaciones absolutas en el tratamiento quirúrgico de la artritis séptica en niños (especialmente en cadera), de nuestro análisis se desprende que ésta opción arroja los peores porcentajes de resultados, duplicando el porcentaje de necesidad de lavado adicional y el de complicaciones, en comparación con el lavado artroscópico. Existen otros métodos terapéuticos que se presentan como procedimientos menos invasivos, seguros y eficaces, respaldados por buenos resultados en la biografiaría, como son: el lavado por artroscopia (que presentó el porcentaje más bajo de pacientes con necesidad de lavado adicional, con el mayor número de artículos con buenos resultados en general, con un porcentaje de complicaciones por debajo del lavado por artrotomía) y el lavado por artrocentesis (que presentó el porcentaje de compilaciones más bajo de las 3 opciones analizadas.

Introduction: Despite its low incidence, osteoarticular infections can generate devastating complications and sequelae for the developing child with his growing skeleton. The general management of the pathology must be multidisciplinary, associating antibiotic therapy and adequate surgical treatment if required. The objective of our work is to analyze the results on the different surgical therapeutic options (puncture-aspiration, arthroscopic lavage or open lavage) in the treatment of septic arthritis in the pediatric age, by carrying out a systematic review of the bibliography. Methodology: We conducted an online bibliographic search in the PubMed search engine and in the Virtual Health Library (VHL) using the following MESH terms: ("Arthritis, Infectious/surgery"(Mesh) OR "Arthritis, Infectious/therapy"(Mesh)), using search filters and applying inclusion and exclusion criteria according to our objective. The following data were obtained from the included articles, among others: country, year, level of evidence, number of patients with septic arthritis, affected joint, mean age, average follow-up, type of initial surgical treatment and its results according to each author: complications (of the disease and of the procedure) and/or sequelae (based on clinical and radiological evolution), the need for additional surgical treatment in the event of failure of the initial therapeutic method, and in addition to relevant conclusions of each author. Results: A total of 22 articles were included: 8 for arthroscopic lavage, 6 for arthrocentesis lavage, 4 for arthrotomy lavage, in addition to another 4 articles that performed a comparative analysis: two of them between arthroscopic lavage and lavage. by arthrotomy and the other two between lavage by arthrocentesis and open lavage. Arthroscopic lavage is at the top of our review as it presents the best results with only 6% complications and/or sequelae (in only 4 of the 8 articles included), with a total of 13 patients (8.7% ) that required additional treatment (5 arthrotomies and 8 a new arthroscopic lavage) and also highlight 3 articles with 100% good results, in which there were no complications and/or sequelae, nor did a second lavage be required, while that only 3 of the 8 studies required an additional arthrotomy for the final resolution. For lavage by arthrocentesis, the lowest percentage of complications and/or sequelae was obtained with 2% (reported in three of the 6 works), and only 9.7% required a second therapeutic method other than joint aspiration (23 arthrotomies and 2 arthroscopies), also highlighting the repetition of the puncture (up to 4 times) as within the author's therapeutic directive in two articles, and that the largest number of patients was found for this method. Arthrotomy lavage as the initial method obtained the worst results, with 12% complications and/or sequelae and 22.6% additional lavages. Conclusions: Even though open lavage by arthrotomy is taken as the ¨ gold-standard ¨, having absolute indications in the surgical treatment of septic arthritis in children (especially in the hip), from our analysis it can be deduced that this option yields the worse percentages of results, doubling the percentage of need for additional lavage and the percentage of complications, compared to arthroscopic lavage. There are other therapeutic methods that are presented as less invasive, safe and effective procedures, supported by good results in the biography, such as: arthroscopic lavage (which presented the lowest percentage of patients requiring additional lavage, with the highest number of articles with good results in general, with a percentage of complications below lavage by arthrotomy) and lavage by arthrocentesis (which presented the lowest percentage of compilations of the 3 options analyzed).

Introdução: Apesar de sua baixa incidência, as infecções osteoarticulares podem gerar complicações e sequelas devastadoras para a criança em desenvolvimento com seu esqueleto em crescimento. O manejo geral da patologia deve ser multidisciplinar, associando antibioticoterapia e tratamento cirúrgico adequado, se necessário. O objetivo do nosso trabalho é analisar os resultados das diferentes opções terapêuticas cirúrgicas (punção-aspiração, lavagem artroscópica ou lavagem aberta) no tratamento da artrite séptica em idade pediátrica, através da realização de uma revisão sistemática da bibliografia. Metodologia: Foi realizada uma busca bibliográfica online no buscador PubMed e na Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde (BVS) utilizando os seguintes termos MESH: ( "Arthritis, Infectious/surgery"(Mesh) OR "Arthritis, Infectious/therapy"(Mesh) ), utilizando filtros de busca e aplicando critérios de inclusão e exclusão de acordo com nosso objetivo. Os seguintes dados foram obtidos dos artigos incluídos, entre outros: país, ano, nível de evidência, número de pacientes com artrite séptica, articulação afetada, idade média, seguimento médio, tipo de tratamento cirúrgico inicial e seus resultados de acordo com cada autor: complicações (da doença e do procedimento) e/ou sequelas (com base na evolução clínica e radiológica), necessidade de tratamento cirúrgico adicional em caso de falha do método terapêutico inicial e, além das conclusões relevantes de cada autor. Resultados: Foram incluídos 22 artigos: 8 para lavagem artroscópica, 6 para lavagem artrocentese, 4 para lavagem artrotômica, além de outros 4 artigos que realizaram uma análise comparativa: dois deles entre lavagem artroscópica e lavagem por artrotomia e a outros dois entre lavagem por artrocentese e lavagem aberta. A lavagem artroscópica está no topo da nossa revisão por apresentar os melhores resultados com apenas 6% de complicações e/ou sequelas (em apenas 4 dos 8 artigos incluídos), com um total de 13 doentes (8,7%) que necessitaram de tratamento adicional (5 artrotomias e 8 uma nova lavagem artroscópica) e também destacam 3 artigos com 100% de bons resultados, nos quais não houve complicações e/ou sequelas, nem foi necessária uma segunda lavagem, enquanto que apenas 3 dos 8 estudos necessitaram de uma artrotomia para a resolução final. Para a lavagem por artrocentese, o menor percentual de complicações e/ou sequelas foi obtido com 2% (relatado em três dos 6 trabalhos), e apenas 9,7% necessitaram de um segundo método terapêutico diferente da aspiração articular (23 artrotomias e 2 artroscopias), destacando também a repetição da punção (até 4 vezes) conforme diretriz terapêutica do autor em dois artigos, e que o maior número de pacientes foi encontrado para este método. A lavagem por artrotomia como método inicial obteve os piores resultados, com 12% de complicações e/ou sequelas e 22,6% de lavagens adicionais. Conclusões: Apesar de a lavagem aberta por artrotomia ser tida como ¨padrão-ouro¨, tendo indicações absolutas no tratamento cirúrgico da artrite séptica em crianças (especialmente no quadril), da nossa análise pode-se deduzir que esta opção rende os piores percentuais de resultados, dobrando o percentual de necessidade de lavagem adicional e o percentual de complicações, em comparação com a lavagem artroscópica. Existem outros métodos terapêuticos que se apresentam como procedimentos menos invasivos, seguros e eficazes, corroborados por bons resultados na biografia, tais como: a lavagem artroscópica (que apresentou a menor percentagem de doentes que necessitaram de lavagem adicional, com o maior número de artigos com boa resultados em geral, com percentual de complicações abaixo da lavagem por artrotomia) e lavagem por artrocentese (que apresentou o menor percentual de compilações das 3 opções analisadas).

Drain fluid cultures can rule in but cannot rule out infection persistence after surgical treatment of periprosthetic joint infections.

BACKGROUND: Periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) is one of the most common reason for implant failure in arthroplasty. Surgical therapy is essential but there is no standardized guideline to determine infection eradication in multiple-step revision surgery. To date, clinical and laboratory inflammation markers and preoperative arthrocentesis are controversial to evaluate the infection status before reimplantation and therefore are often combined. Drain fluid cultures enable a microbiological analysis without need for further invasive procedure after revision surgery. This retrospective study evaluates the diagnostic performance of drain fluid cultures in diagnosing infection persistence according to the MSIS definition of PJI. METHODS: Drain samples have been taken after every revision surgery for microbiological testing. Afterwards, the results have been assigned to the infection status according to the diagnostic criteria of the MSIS definition of PJI. RESULTS: 1084 revision surgeries in 183 patients have been included, resulting in a total sample size of 1552 drain fluid cultures. Overall sensitivity was 36.0%, specificity was 90.7% and ROC-AUC was 0.63. CONCLUSION: Due to a high specificity and a low sensitivity drain fluid cultures can rule in but cannot rule out infection persistence in PJI.

TLR-activated mesenchymal stromal cell therapy and antibiotics to treat multi-drug resistant Staphylococcal septic arthritis in an equine model.

Background: Rapid development of antibiotic resistance necessitates advancement of novel therapeutic strategies to treat infection. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) possess antimicrobial and immunomodulatory properties, mediated through antimicrobial peptide secretion and recruitment of innate immune cells including neutrophils and monocytes. TLR-3 activation of human, canine and equine MSC has been shown to enhance bacterial killing and clearance in vitro, in rodent Staphylococcal biofilm infection models and dogs with spontaneous multi-drug-resistant infections. The objective of this study was to determine if intra-articular (IA) TLR-3-activated MSC with antibiotics improved clinical parameters and reduced bacterial counts and inflammatory cytokine concentrations in synovial fluid (SF) of horses with induced septic arthritis. Methods: Eight horses were inoculated in one tarsocrural joint with multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). Bone marrow-derived MSC from three unrelated donors were activated with TLR-3 agonist polyinosinic, polycytidylic acid (pIC). Recipient horses received MSC plus vancomycin (TLR-MSC-VAN), or vancomycin (VAN) alone, on days 1, 4, 7 post-inoculation and systemic gentamicin. Pain scores, quantitative bacterial counts (SF, synovium), SF analyses, complete blood counts, cytokine concentrations (SF, plasma), imaging changes (MRI, ultrasound, radiographs), macroscopic joint scores and histologic changes were assessed. Results were reported as mean ± SEM. Results: Pain scores (d7, P=0.01, 15.2±0.2 vs. 17.9±0.5), ultrasound (d7, P=0.03, 9.0±0.6 vs. 11.8±0.5), quantitative bacterial counts (SF d7, P=0.02, 0±0 vs. 3.4±0.4; synovium P=0.003, 0.4±0.4 vs. 162.7±18.4), systemic neutrophil (d4, P=0.03, 4.6±0.6 vs. 7.8±0.6) and serum amyloid A (SAA) (d4, P=0.01, 1,106.0±659.0 vs. 2,858.8±141.3; d7, P=0.02, 761.8±746.2 vs. 2,357.3±304.3), and SF lactate (d7, P<0.0001, 5.4±0.2 vs. 15.0±0.3), SAA (endterm, P=0.01, 0.0 vs. 2,094.0±601.6), IL-6 (P=0.03, 313.0±119.2 vs. 1,328.2±208.9), and IL-18 (P=0.02, 11.1±0.5 vs. 13.3±3.8) were improved in TLR-MSC-VAN vs. VAN horses. Study limitations include the small horse sample size, short study duration, and lack of additional control groups. Conclusions: Combined TLR-activated MSC with antibiotic therapy may be a promising approach to manage joint infections with drug resistant bacteria.