What's new in mycotic bone and joint diseases?

Deep fungi exhibit different degrees of aggressiveness toward joints and bone, most likely depending on the individual make-up of the respective organism. Immunodepressed patients have a propensity to bone and joint involvement by sporotrichosis, cryptococcosis and candidiasis. African histoplasmosis, blastomycosis and coccidioidomycosis are the main mycoses to produce osteoarthritic complications. Arthralgias as part of primary mycotic infection are seen in histoplasmosis capsulati and in coccidioidomycosis. The recognition of the specific agent by morphologic, cultural and serologic methods changes potentially the prognosis and treatment of patients.