Gonococcal Arthritis in Children

Six children with gonococcal arthritis were seen at Parkland Memorial Hospital and the Children's Medical Center in Dallas during a 2 1/2-year period. There were five girls and one boy. The clinical manifestations were variable. A migratory polyarthritis with eventual localization in one or more joints was most common. Gonococci were cultured from a joint or the vagina in all but one of the six patients. Sera of all six contained gonococcal antibodies as revealed by the fluorescent antibody technique. A survey of cultures done at both hospitals during the period Jan 1, 1964, through March 31, 1965, has revealed 17 infants and children with culture-positive, nonarthritic gonococcal disease, in addition to the six with gonococcal arthritis.