Eikenella corrodens arthritis of the knee after a toothpick injury: report of one case.

This is a case of an 11-year-old boy who developed septic arthritis of the right knee after a stabbing injury by a toothpick. Arthroscopic debridement of the distal femur and arthrotomy with synovectomy were performed at two hospitals. Cultures from both yielded Eikenella corrodens, an organism that may be normally found in oral secretions. The boy was given treatment with intravenous ceftriaxone after surgery and discharged home without complications. E. corrodens is part of the normal human oropharyngeal flora. It has been reported as the cause of infections at many sites, which are largely due to contamination with oral secretions. A penetrating injury with an object contaminated with oral bacterial flora should lead clinicians to consider this organism as a potential pathogen.