Disseminated staphylococcal disease: report of one case

Childhood septic arthritis is not only an uncommon presentation with polyarticular involvement, but is also rarely complicated with thromboembolism. We report a case of a 10-year-old boy who suffered multiple staphylococcal arthritis, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, pericardial effusion and occlusion of the anterior parietal branch of the right middle cerebral artery. Oxacillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus was isolated from blood, synovial fluid and pericardial effusion. Intravenous six-week oxacillin combined with two-week gentamicin for eradicating the pathogen, arthrotomy for debridment and subcutaneous low-molecular-weight heparin for preventing further thromboembolism were administered during admission. In addition, surveys for immunodeficiency, connective tissue disease and hemostatic dysfunction produced negative findings. The patient was discharged with neither painful disability of involved joints nor neurological sequelae.