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Musculoskeletal Infection

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Abstract

Diagnosis and management of bone and joint infections are common ID consult questions. There is a growing trend toward divisions having specific orthopedic ID services, and some fellowship programs even offer an extra year of training in this area. As infection in bone progresses, areas of necrosis develop which can make medical management and source control challenging. Infected hardware is another challenge in musculoskeletal ID. Microbes rapidly create biofilm on foreign material and become protected from both the host immune system and antibiotic therapy. Removal of hardware in itself may pose serious risks to the patient so decision-making can be very complex. As in many facets of ID, patients with musculoskeletal infection often benefit from a multidisciplinary approach between ID, surgical services, musculoskeletal radiology, and pathology.

In this chapter, we will start by examining questions that broadly apply to orthopedic infection, such as when oral antibiotics can be used for treatment, what type of antibiotic prophylaxis should be used for orthopedic surgery, and the role of rifampin in orthopedic infection. We will then discuss specific types of musculoskeletal infections, ranging from tendon to periprosthetic joint infection.

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  1. Infectious Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    Alexander M. Tatara

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Tatara, A.M. (2023). Musculoskeletal Infection. In: The Infectious Diseases Consult Handbook. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-39474-4_13

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