Group B streptococcal arthritis

Recent data suggest that group B streptococcal arthritis is being increasingly diagnosed. We retrospectively reviewed the records of patients admitted to our Teaching Hospital Rheumatology Department for septic arthritis between May 2000 and May 2004 and we reviewed the relevant literature to determine the characteristics of group B streptococcal arthritis. We compared age, hospital stay duration, and number of joints involved in the patients with group B streptococcal arthritis and in those with septic arthritis due to other organisms. Of 48 consecutive patients with septic arthritis, five (10.4%) had arthritis due to group B streptococci. Mean age of these five patients was 51.6+/-18.3 years and mean hospital stay duration was 13.2+/-9.23 days. Arthritis distribution was oligoarticular in three patients, polyarticular in one patient, and monoarticular in one patient. The mean number of involved joints was significantly (P=0.005) higher in the patients with group B streptococcal arthritis than in the other patients (2.6+/-1.5 vs 1.1+/-0.4 joints). Age and hospital stay duration were not significantly different. The frequently oligoarticular or polyarticular distribution of group B streptococcal arthritis, together with the sometimes limited symptoms, may lead to diagnostic wanderings or delays.