Group B Streptococcal Osteomyelitis and Septic Arthritis

Abstract

\s=b\Nine infants less than 2 months of age with group B streptococcal (GBS) osteomyelitis or septic arthritis, or both, were seen from January 1975 through January 1978. The infants had local joint signs, usually in the absence of systemic signs. The bones and joints involved were equally distributed between proximal humerus and proximal and distal femur. An infant had involvement of the talus. Treatment consisted of two to three weeks of parenteral antibiotics, arthrotomy in infants with arthritis, and bone decompression in infants with osteomyelitis. Clinical follow-up showed normal growth and function of the affected joint. Of the organisms, five were typed: four were type III and one was type lb. Group B streptococcal osteomyelitis and/or septic arthritis was the second most common late-onset GBS infection, being surpassed only by meningitis.(Am J Dis Child 133: [921][922][923] 1979)

Group B Streptococcal Infections

“…Lack of associated systemic involvement is the rule, although osteomyelitis in association with meningitis, peritonitis, and overwhelming sepsis with congestive heart failure has been reported [441,442,[447][448][449]. Lack of associated systemic involvement is the rule, although osteomyelitis in association with meningitis, peritonitis, and overwhelming sepsis with congestive heart failure has been reported [441,442,[447][448][449].…”

“…When infants with septic arthritis alone are compared with infants with osteomyelitis, infants with septic arthritis more often have lower extremity involvement, with the hip joint predominating [447,450]. By contrast, more than half of the reported infants with osteomyelitis have had involvement of the humerus, and in infants for whom the location was specified, the proximal humerus predominated [439,442,447,451].…”

“…* Residual shortening and limitation of motion of the humerus were noted in a patient who had overwhelming sepsis of acute onset, with congestive heart failure and osteomyelitis involving noncontiguous sites [447]. At evaluation 6 months to 4 years after diagnosis, 17 (90%) of 19 infants with osteomyelitis had normal function in the affected extremity.…”