Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Tuberculous knee arthritis presenting as staphylococcal infection

  • Case Report
  • Published:
European Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery & Traumatology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

We present the case of a 40-year-old female immigrant with a long-standing arthritis of her right knee. An arthrocentesis failed to grow any microorganism, but fluid from an arthroscopic lavage later grew initially coagulase-negative Staphylococcus and Mycobacterium tuberculosis after 3 weeks. Failure to ask for cultures of acid-fast bacilli from the beginning and to take biopsies due to low index of suspicion led to delayed diagnosis of tuberculosis with resultant osteoarthritic changes of the joint.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Erdem H, Baylan O, Simsek I, Dinc A, Pay S, Kocaoglu M (2005) Delayed diagnosis of tuberculous arthritis. Jpn J Infect Dis 58:373–375

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Hoffman EB, Allin J, Campbell JA, Leisegang FM (2002) Tuberculosis of the knee. Clin Orthop Relat Res 398:100–106

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Klein MD, McConville JH (1989) Simultaneous pneumococcal arthritis and osteoarticular tuberculosis. South Med J 82:664–665

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Lange CG, Getty PJ, Morrissey AB, George AL, Young PC, Armitage KB (2002) Destructive osteoarthritis after delayed diagnosis of tuberculosis. Infection 30:46–49

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Lee AS, Campbell JA, Hoffman EB (1995) Tuberculosis of the knee in children. J Bone Joint Surg 77-B:313–318

    Google Scholar 

  6. Opara TN, Gupte CM, Liyanage SH, Poole S, Beverly NC (2007) Tuberculous arthritis of the knee with Staphylococcus superinfection. J Bone Joint Surg Br 89-B:664–666

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Sequeira W, Co H, Block JA (2000) Osteoarticular tuberculosis: current diagnosis and treatment. Am J Ther 7:393–398

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Titov AG, Vyshnevskaya EB, Mazurenko SI, Santavirta S, Konttinen YT (2004) Use of polymerase chain reaction to diagnose tuberculous arthritis from joint tissues and synovial fluid. Arch Pathol Lab Med 128:205–209

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Wallace R, Cohen AS (1976) Tuberculosis arthritis: a report of two cases with review of biopsy and synovial fluid findings. Am J Med 61:277–282

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hellenic Red Cross Hospital, Erythrou Stavrou 1, Athens, Greece

    Athanassios Papanikolaou, Ilias Galanopoulos, George Arealis & George Papadimitriou

  2. Vassileos Pavlou 73, Psychico, 15452, Athens, Greece

    Athanassios Papanikolaou

Authors
  1. Athanassios Papanikolaou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ilias Galanopoulos
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. George Arealis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. George Papadimitriou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Athanassios Papanikolaou.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Papanikolaou, A., Galanopoulos, I., Arealis, G. et al. Tuberculous knee arthritis presenting as staphylococcal infection. Eur J Orthop Surg Traumatol 19, 51–53 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00590-008-0359-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00590-008-0359-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation