Staphylococcus epidermidis septic arthritis post arthroscopy.

A 61 year-old man developed painful swelling of his right knee shortly after arthroscopy of the joint. Synovial fluid analysis revealed a polymorphonuclear leukocytosis of 51,600 X 10(6) cells/litre and culture grew Staphylococcus epidermidis. He responded favorably to 4 weeks of intravenous therapy with cloxacillin. S. epidermidis, an important cause of prosthetic joint infection, must be considered a potential pathogen in other joint infections.