Sexual and enteric bacterial infections eliciting reactive arthritis.

In this review synonymous definitions of reactive arthritis are discussed first. Major clinical symptoms, their infectious etiology and epidemiology define post-dysenteric and post-veneral forms of reactive arthritis. Classical (smear, culture, biochemistry, antigen detection) and molecular (DNA and RNA detections) techniques are used in the routine microbial diagnosis that is retrospective in the majority of cases. In the pathomechanism of this disorder, HLA-B27 antigen positivity of patients is a frequent risk factor. Molecular mimicry between microbial and self-antigens, abnormal antigen presentation leading to incomplete CD8+ T lymphocyte activation might contribute to the persistence of microbial antigens that elicit clinical symptoms. Treatment is rarely successful with antimicrobial chemotherapy.