Infection and arthritis.

I is one of the important causes for the inflammation of the joint (arthritis). Microorganisms which include bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites can cause arthritis, which can be acute or chronic. Acute arthritis is generally caused by pyogenic bacteria and termed as septic arthritis. Chronic arthritis is generally caused by mycobacteria and fungi. In reactive arthritis and other forms of spondyloarthropathies, arthritis can be secondary to infection elsewhere in the body. Infection can be a triggering factor in some chronic inflammatory conditions, which affect joints e.g. rheumatoid arthritis. On the basis of bacterial infection, arthritides have been classified into infective, reactive and inflammatory arthritis. Some microbes can cause infective as well as reactive arthritis. The type of arthritis is determined by microbial factors as well as host factors.