Septic arthritis - symptoms, diagnosis and new therapy

Septic arthritis (SA) is an infection of one or more joints caused mainly by Staphylococcus aureus, to a lesser extent by streptococci and Gram-negative bacilli. It poses a huge medical problem due to its high mortality rate of 2-15%. Disease symptoms are often vague, resulting in a risk that SA may be diagnosed too late. This shows the urgency of finding a rapid diagnostic method for SA and an effective therapy. Basic treatment of SA including joint drain or empirical antimicrobial therapy does not always provide the desired results. Hence, new therapies are being sought, including the use of antimicrobial peptide or phage therapy.