J Korean Orthop Assoc.  2012 Feb;47(1):64-68. 10.4055/jkoa.2012.47.1.64.

Septic Knee Arthritis Caused by Streptococcus sanguis in a Patient with Osteoarthritis of the Knee

• Jung CY
• Eun IS
• Kim JW
• Ko YC
• Kim CK

• KMID: 1439995
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4055/jkoa.2012.47.1.64

Abstract

Streptococcus sanguis (S. sanguis) is a gram positive streptococcus bacteria which is found in the normal bacterial flora of the oral cavity and the upper respiratory tract. It has low virulence, but it can cause bacterial endocarditis through the blood circulation when dental calculus are removed from the teeth or during surgical treatment. Septic arthritis caused by S. sanguis has been reported as infecting the sternoclavicular joint and the knee joint, but it is a quite rare infectious disease that has not been reported in Korea. Therefore, the authors report a case of the septic arthritis in the knee joint caused by S. sanguis in a patient with osteoarthritis of the knee, who has the history of periodontitis.

Keyword

Streptococcus sanguis; septic knee; periodontitis

MeSH Terms

Arthritis
Arthritis, Infectious
Bacteria
Blood Circulation
Communicable Diseases
Dental Calculus
Endocarditis, Bacterial
Humans
Knee
Knee Joint
Korea
Mouth
Osteoarthritis
Periodontitis
Respiratory System
Sternoclavicular Joint
Streptococcus
Streptococcus sanguis
Tooth

Figure

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  Figure 1 Radiographs show severe osteoarthritis of the left knee.

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  Figure 2 Intraoperative photographs show inflammatory change of the knee synovium.

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  Figure 3 Radiographs shown after open debridement and irrigation of the knee.

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  Figure 4 There are greenish colonies and alpha hemolytic streptococcus in blood agar medium.

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  Figure 5 Total knee arthroplasty was performed at 6 months after the septic knee arthritis had been cured.

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