Successful treatment of gonococcal osteomyelitis with one week of intravenous antibiotic therapy

Neisseria gonorrhoeae Septic Arthritis With Contiguous Infection Consistent With Acute Osteomyelitis

Neisseria gonorrhoeae osteomyelitis is a rare complication of disseminated gonococcal infection. As the rates of N. gonorrhoeae continue to increase in the United States, clinicians may encounter patients with disseminated gonococcal infection complicated by gonococcal osteomyelitis. Screening and appropriate treatment of N. gonorrhoeae remains paramount, especially with growing antibiotic resistance.

Disseminated Gonococcal Infection Complicated by Prosthetic Joint Infection: Case Report and Genomic and Phylogenetic Analysis

Neisseria gonorrhoeae infections have been increasing globally, with prevalence rising across age groups. In this study, we report a case of disseminated gonococcal infection (DGI) involving a prosthetic joint, and we use whole-genome sequencing to characterize resistance genes, putative virulence factors, and the phylogenetic lineage of the infecting isolate. We review the literature on sequence-based prediction of antibiotic resistance and factors that contribute to risk for DGI. We argue for routine sequencing and reporting of invasive gonococcal infections to aid in determining whether an invasive gonococcal infection is sporadic or part of an outbreak and to accelerate understanding of the genetic features of N gonorrhoeae that contribute to pathogenesis.

Gonococcal osteomyelitis in a pediatric patient with disseminated gonococcal infection: Implications for antimicrobial management

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Cases of gonococcal osteomyelitis are rare but potentially debilitating, with little consensus on risk factors or treatment.

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We present a case of septic arthritis complicated by gonococcal osteomyelitis in an adolescent.

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Prolonged treatment relative to gonococcal arthritis might be needed for ideal outcomes in secondary osteomyelitis.

We report a case of a female teenager with gonococcal septic arthritis of the right shoulder that also caused osteomyelitis of the humeral head. Infection with Neisseria gonorrhoeae is a frequently diagnosed sexually transmitted infection in the sexually active teenage population and disseminated gonococcal infection (DGI) is the most common systemic manifestation of acute gonorrhea. DGI commonly involves acute arthritis, tenosynovitis and dermatitis with less common complications of endocarditis, hepatitis and meningitis. In contrast, osteomyelitis has only rarely been reported as a result of gonococcal infection. Clinicians need to be aware of this unusual manifestation of DGI as a prolonged duration of antimicrobial treatment may be needed to assure complete resolution of this infection.