Primary symptoms of infectious arthritis include joint pain and swelling. Usually only one joint is affected, but two or even three joints can be affected. A germ, whether a bacterium, virus, or fungus, is responsible for the inflammation associated with infectious arthritis.

Infectious arthritis can affect people at any age, and affects men and women equally. People with conditions that make it hard to fight infection (for example, diabetes, AIDS, kidney disease) may be more prone to develop infectious arthritis than others. Also, patients with a history of arthritis are more likely to develop infectious arthritis.

Germs have a tendency to infect weak or damaged joints. Patients who have had joint replacements are also more likely to develop infectious arthritis, as germs may target the joint prostheses.

Some of the medications used to treat inflammatory forms of arthritis lower the body's immunity or resistance to infection. If you take these medications, you are more susceptible to developing infection and infectious arthritis. People who work at certain jobs that require the handling of infectious materials may also be more at risk for developing infectious arthritis.

Warning signs for infectious arthritis depend on the causative germ. If the causative germ is a bacterium, pain and swelling is usually localized and comes on suddenly, possibly with fever and chills. If the causative germ is a virus, widespread pain is more common, but with no fever. If the causative germ is a fungus, there is gradual onset of pain and swelling that is either localized or widespread, and mild fever is possible.

The germs have numerous available ports of entry into the body, passing through the skin, nose, throat, ears, or even a wound. The infection itself may make you quite sick before the germ travels to the joints. An infection can be passed from one person to another, but infectious arthritis cannot be passed from one person to another.

Infectious arthritis, due to a bacterium or fungus, has a good chance of being cured if treated early. If treatment is postponed or if treatment is lacking, joint damage can get worse and the infection can spread to other parts of the body.

Medications are usually prescribed to treat inflammation associated with infectious arthritis, and antibiotics or anti-fungal medications are given to treat the infection. There is no medication given to treat a virus.