[Infectious spondylitis].

Vertebral osteomyelitis or spondylodiscitis is an uncommon, mainly hematogenous, disease that usually affects adults. The incidence of this condition has steadily risen in recent years because of increases in spine surgery and nosocomial bacteremia, aging of the population, and intravenous drug addiction. Pyogenic infection due to Staphylococcus aureus is the most frequent form of the disease, but tuberculosis and brucellosis are still common causes of spondylitis in Spain. The clinical presentation is nonspecific and the diagnosis is often delayed. Magnetic resonance imaging is the most sensitive radiologic technique for this disease. Blood cultures are often positive, but computed tomography-guided needle biopsy or surgical biopsy of the affected vertebra is sometimes required to achieve a microbiological diagnosis. Prolonged antibiotic therapy and occasionally surgery are essential for cure in most patients, and both factors have contributed to a reduction in the morbidity and mortality of the disease in recent years.