HEMOPHILUS INFLUENZAE PYARTHROSIS IN AN ADULT.

Abstract

Introduction Although Hemophilus influenzae infections in children are common, similar infections in adults are rare. 1,2 We recently observed an adult patient with septic arthritis due to Hemophilus influenzae . The infrequency of this infection and the therapeutic importance of an accurate diagnosis prompted this report. Report of Case A 59-year-old white man with a previous history of alcoholism entered Bellevue Hospital for the first time on Oct 14, 1963, with complaints of chills, fever, and a painful, swollen right knee. He had been in good health until four days prior to admission when he developed fever, shaking chills, and generalized malaise. On the morning of the day of admission he noted swelling and tenderness of the right knee. He denied previous trauma, arthritis, gout, venereal contact, or recent alcoholic intake. Review of systems revealed a chronic nonproductive cough attributed to excessive cigarette smoking. On admission the patient was thin, poorly