Septic arthritis of the ankle due to Salmonella enteritidis: a case report

Salmonella septic arthritis in healthy individuals is a rare phenomenon in the United States. This case report chronicles the clinical course of a 41-year-old male farmworker who presented with a 3-week history of fever, chills, night sweats with pain, and swelling and redness of his left ankle. He had an open fracture of the ankle 2 years earlier that healed and was asymptomatic despite prior radiographic evidence of avascular necrosis of the talar dome. One month before presentation, he had an ipsilateral periungual abscess of the great toe that he opened and drained himself. Joint cultures were positive for Salmonella enteritidis that was successfully treated with a 6-week course of i.v. ceftriaxone.