Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus induced reactive arthritis treated with systemic corticosteroid

Area of Science:

• Rheumatology
• Infectious Diseases
• Microbiology

Background:

• Reactive arthritis classically presents with arthritis, urethritis, and conjunctivitis within six weeks of infection, typically gastrointestinal or genitourinary.
• Staphylococcus aureus is an uncommon pathogen associated with reactive arthritis, though it can cause septicemia and, rarely, septic arthritis.

Observation:

• A human leukocyte antigen B27-positive patient presented with symptoms following recurrent bacterial prostatitis.
• The prostatitis was caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

Findings:

• The patient developed reactive arthritis, a sterile joint inflammation, subsequent to the MRSA prostatitis.
• This case underscores the importance of considering reactive arthritis in patients with preceding or ongoing Staphylococcus aureus infections.

Implications:

• This case expands the known spectrum of infectious triggers for reactive arthritis.
• Clinicians should consider reactive arthritis in the differential diagnosis of joint effusions and arthropathy in patients with S. aureus infections, including MRSA.