Spontaneous septic arthritis of the pubic symphysis in an afebrile patient

Septic arthritis is a rare infection usually involving the knee or hip but can infrequently affect less obvious joints such as the pubic symphysis.Risk factors for septic arthritis include joint repair or replacement surgery, systemic infection, intravenous recreational drug use, and alcoholism.We present the case of a 48-year-old man with a final diagnosis of septic arthritis of the pubic symphysis who had no risk factors besides alcoholism. The presentation was unusual in that the patient was afebrile,and the infection seemed to be spontaneous. The infecting pathogen was identified as Streptococcus anginosus or S constellatus, both being normal intestinal flora. Infection by either bacterium is rare in septic arthritis.