Gonococcal arthritis

Symptoms:

• migrating joint pain for 1 to 4 days (polyarthralgia)
• single joint pain
• fever
• skin rash or lesion
  • flat rash (macular)
  • pink to red
  • with time rash may become pustular or purpuric
• vaginal or urethral discharge
• pain or burning on urination
• lower abdominal pain

Signs and tests:

• positive cervical gram stain (positive for gonococci)
• urethral culture for gonorrhea in men
• cervical culture for gonorrhea in women
• rectal culture for gonorrhea in men and women
• throat culture for gonorrhea
• joint fluid gram stain
• synovial fluid culture for gonorrhea (culture of joint aspirate)

Updated Date: 02/09/00

Updated By:J. Gordon Lambert, MD, Associate Medical Director, Utah Health Informatics and adam.com editorial