Infection of Synovial Fibroblasts in Culture by Yersinia enterocolitica and Salmonella enterica Serovar Enteritidis: Ultrastructural Investigation with Respect to the Pathogenesis of Reactive Arthritis

Synovial fibroblasts were infected with Yersinia enterocolitica or Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis and analyzed by electron microscopy and fluorescence in situ hybridization. Intracellular bacterial replication was followed by degradation leading to "ghosts" possessing lipopolysaccharides but not DNA. However, single bacteria survived for more than 2 weeks. Therefore, transient intra-articular infection might be the missing link between initial intestinal infection and late synovial inflammation in the pathogenesis of reactive arthritis.