Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae Suppurative Arthritis in a 12-year-old Boy After an Unusual Fresh Water Exposure.

We report the case of a 12-year-old boy who experienced recurrent suppurative arthritis of the distal interphalangeal joint after near simultaneous exposure to a frog, a dog bite and lake water. Anaerobic cultures of synovial fluid obtained during operative debridement grew small round gray colonies ultimately identified as Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae by routine laboratory tests and mass spectrometry.