[Intestinal bacteria incriminated in reactive arthritis]

Amongst the numerous microbial species which constitute the intestinal flora, three bacteria belonging to the family of Enterobacteria have been incriminated in cases of reactive arthritis: the Salmonellae, the Shigellae and the Klebsiellae. These bacteria are easy to isolate and identify, but they are difficult to classify because of the multiplicity of serotypes and species. The participation of these bacteria in reactive arthritis is far from being clear: their isolation does not always have pathological significance, as these bacteria are usually opportunistic pathogens. The serological reactions must be interpreted with great reservation: antibody titers vary greatly between subjects and crossed reactions are common.