Isolation of Kingella kingae in the oropharynx during K. kingae arthritis in children

Abstract

Kingella kingae arthritis in children is now mainly diagnosed by PCR, which has surpassed conventional culture of joint fluid. As oropharynx colonization is the first step of Kingella kingae invasion, we prospectively investigated the possibility of cultivating it from throat swabs, in children hospitalized for K. kingae arthritis. Throat culture was 5.6-fold more sensitive than joint fluid cultures in isolating K. kingae (66.7% vs. 11.9% respectively, p<0.001) and may be used to perform antibiotic susceptibility testing. © 2012 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.