Salmonella infection in joint arthroplasty.

Infection of a prosthetic joint is uncommon in standard primary arthroplasty, occurring in 1%-2% of all cases.1,2 Recommendations for treatment differ depending on the time-course of the infection, the infecting organism, whether the implant is well-fixed, and the patient’s health.3,4 The most common organism cultured in a septic total knee arthroplasty (TKA) or total hip arthroplasty (THA) is Staphylococcus, accounting for 50% of cases. A variety of Streptococcus species and aerobic gram-negative bacilli also make up a significant percentage.1,5 Salmonella, a gram-negative bacillus, is an uncommon pathogen in native joint septic arthritis, occurring in 2% of cases.6,7 A higher frequency of Salmonella infection occurs in patients with sickle cell disease, systemic lupus erythematosis, and other immunocompromised states.8-10 Only 20 cases of Salmonella infection of a THA have been reported 8,11-24 and 3 cases of TKA infection.25-27 This article presents a case of TKA infection due to S typhimurium.