Septic Arthritis of the Hip due to Fusobacterium nucleatum

Anaerobic bacteria are uncommon pathogens in septic arthritis. We report a case of pyarthrosis of the right hip caused by Fusobacterium nucleatum, following a transient synovitis in an otherwise healthy boy. There are only a few cases involving this species described in the literature. This report illustrates the difficulty of isolating this unusual organism and emphasises the usefulness of the Bactec blood culture bottles for the recovery of anaerobic bacteria. Received: 19 June 2000 / Accepted: 1 December 2000