S. lugdunensis Native-Joint Septic Arthritis: Case Report and Review of the Literature

Staphylococcus lugdunensis is a skin commensal classified as a coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (CoNS). Though CoNS is typically associated with less aggressive clinical disease than Staphylococcus aureus, there is growing awareness that S. lugdunensis may be as virulent as S. aureus. The association between S. lugdunensis and infective endocarditis is well known, but few reports of native-joint disease with this organism exist. We report a case a 28-year-old male with no prior medical problems presenting with native-joint septic arthritis. Cultures grew S. lugdunensis. To our knowledge, this is the fifth case reported in the literature.