Spectrum of Salmonella-associated arthritis.

Arthritis is an uncommon extraintestinal manifestation of Salmonella infection. Three patients with Salmonella-associated arthritis with varying manifestations were seen at Children's Hospital Medical Center in an 11-month period: (1) a 12-year-old girl developed suppurative arthritis due to Salmonella typhimurium that required surgical drainage and prolonged parenteral antibiotic therapy; (2) a 12-year-old girl had migratory polyarthritis following gastrointestinal infection with S typhimurium; the acute synovitis subsided after a six-month period following anti-inflammatory medications; (3) a 14-year-old girl developed conjunctivitis, urethritis, and polyarthritis (Reiter's syndrome) in association with Salmonella gastroenteritis. These patients illustrate the distinct types of arthritis associated with Salmonella gastroenteritis. These patients illustrate that distinct types of arthritis associated with Salmonella, and the association of this organism with both suppurative joint disease and reactive arthritis is reemphasized.