Reactive Arthritis Update: Spotlight on New and Rare Infectious Agents Implicated as Pathogens

This article presents a comprehensive narrative review of reactive arthritis (ReA) with focus on articles published between 2018 and 2020. We discuss the entire spectrum of microbial agents known to be the main causative agents of ReA, those reported to be rare infective agents, and those reported to be new candidates causing the disease. The discussion is set within the context of changing disease terminology, definition, and classification over time. Further, we include reports that present at least a hint of effective antimicrobial therapy for ReA as documented in case reports or in double-blind controlled studies. Additional information is included on microbial products detected in the joint, as well as on the positivity of HLA-B27.Recent FindingsRecent reports of ReA cover several rare causative microorganism such asNeisseria meningitides,Clostridium difficile,Escherichia coli,Hafnia alvei,Blastocytosis,Giardia lamblia,Cryptosporidium,Cyclospora cayetanensis,Entamoeba histolytica/dispar,Strongyloides stercoralis,β-haemolytic Streptococci,Mycobacterium tuberculosis,Mycoplasma pneumoniae,Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guerin, andRickettsia rickettsii. The most prominent new infectious agents implicated as causative in ReA areStaphylococcus lugdunensis,placenta- and umbilical cord –derived Wharton’s jelly, Rothia mucilaginosa,and most importantly the SARS-CoV-2 virus.SummaryIn view of the increasingly large spectrum of causative agents, diagnostic consideration ...
Source: Current Rheumatology Reports - Category: Rheumatology Source Type: research