Pneumococcal vertebral osteomyelitis presenting with an aseptic knee effusion in a child

An 11 year-old girl developed a sterile knee effusion in association with vertebral osteomyelitis. Blood cultures grew Streptococcus Pneumoniae. Sterile joint effusions and vertebral osteomyelitis are both rare complications of pneumococcal infection although this organism is a frequent cause of bacteremia in childhood.