Listeria monocytogenes infection in a prosthetic knee joint in rheumatoid arthritis
Article Abstract:
Listeria monocytogenes causes infection in newborn infants, pregnant women and immunocompromized patients. An infection with Listeria was found in the prosthetic knee joint of a woman with rheumatoid arthritis. The occurrence of infection by Listeria in joints which are arthritic is very rare and there are only two previously reported cases of this infection in prosthetic joints. The patient had developed pain in her knee but had no systemic symptoms. The synovial fluid was aspirated from her knee and was found to contain the bacteria. The woman was treated intravenously with ampicillin, which was shown to penetrate the joint, for a total of 10 weeks. She was then treated with cotrimoxazole in pill form, which she has been taking for 18 months; on this therapy she has not had a recurrent infection. The patient will probably be on antibiotics in order to inhibit the risk of reinfection for the rest of her life, unless problems occur. If the antibiotics had not worked, surgery would have been necessary and the patient would have lost function of the affected knee joint. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
Publication Name: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0003-4967
Year: 1990
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An unusual cause of back pain in osteoporosis: lessons from a spinal lesion
Article Abstract:
Continuing back pain in a patient a patient with spinal osteoporosis may indicate an additional underlying cause such as infection. If not readily diagnosed, it can continue until paraplegia takes place, as the infection spreads from the vertebra into the spinal canal itself. This was the situation in the case of an elderly woman with vertebral osteoporosis and bacterial endocarditis. Diagnostic devices vary: x-rays will not show the changes until the disc space itself has been destroyed. Phosphate scintigraphic scanning is not very specific. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) are the best diagnostic devices for this problem.
Publication Name: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0003-4967
Year: 1999
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Familial aggregation of undifferentiated spondylitis associated with HLA-B7
Article Abstract:
A familial collection of arthritic diseases called spondyloarthropathy may be related to genetic tissue types other than the HLA-B27 tissue type. The tissue type HLA-B27 is the main genetic factor associated with spondyloarthropathy. Tissue typing was performed, and a pedigree was constructed for 19 subjects spanning three generations of a single family. Seven of 12 members reporting symptoms of spinal or peripheral joint disease fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for spondyloarthropathy. None had ankylosing spondylitis, which involves degeneration of the joint, despite long-standing symptoms. All seven shared the B-7 antigen.
Publication Name: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0003-4967
Year: 1995
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