Skip to main content
Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases logoLink to Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
. 1999 Nov;58(11):661–664. doi: 10.1136/ard.58.11.661

Reactive or infectious arthritis

J KUIPERS 1, L KOHLER 1, H ZEIDLER 1
PMCID: PMC1752803  PMID: 10531068

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (68.6 KB).

Figure 1  .

Figure 1  

Aetiopathogenesis of reactive arthritis.

Figure 2  .

Figure 2  

Hypothetical model of infectious, infection reactive and infection triggered reactive arthritis. * Bacterial antigens have not (yet) been detected intra-articularly in rheumatic fever.

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Ahvonen P., Sievers K., Aho K. Arthritis associated with Yersinia enterocolitica infection. Acta Rheumatol Scand. 1969;15(3):232–253. doi: 10.3109/rhe1.1969.15.issue-1-4.32. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Arnold M. M., McKenna F. Reactive arthritis in a patient with cat-scratch disease. Postgrad Med J. 1994 Feb;70(820):147–147. doi: 10.1136/pgmj.70.820.147. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bas S., Griffais R., Kvien T. K., Glennås A., Melby K., Vischer T. L. Amplification of plasmid and chromosome Chlamydia DNA in synovial fluid of patients with reactive arthritis and undifferentiated seronegative oligoarthropathies. Arthritis Rheum. 1995 Jul;38(7):1005–1013. doi: 10.1002/art.1780380718. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Bowsher D., Mumford J., Lipton S., Miles J. Treatment of intractable pain by acupuncture. Lancet. 1973 Jul 14;2(7820):57–60. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(73)93257-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Branigan P. J., Gérard H. C., Hudson A. P., Schumacher H. R., Jr, Pando J. Comparison of synovial tissue and synovial fluid as the source of nucleic acids for detection of Chlamydia trachomatis by polymerase chain reaction. Arthritis Rheum. 1996 Oct;39(10):1740–1746. doi: 10.1002/art.1780391018. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Braun J., Tuszewski M., Eggens U., Mertz A., Schauer-Petrowskaja C., Döring E., Laitko S., Distler A., Sieper J., Ehlers S. Nested polymerase chain reaction strategy simultaneously targeting DNA sequences of multiple bacterial species in inflammatory joint diseases. I. Screening of synovial fluid samples of patients with spondyloarthropathies and other arthritides. J Rheumatol. 1997 Jun;24(6):1092–1100. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Buchs N., Chevrel G., Miossec P. Bacillus Calmette-Guérin induced aseptic arthritis: an experimental model of reactive arthritis. J Rheumatol. 1998 Sep;25(9):1662–1665. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Granfors K., Jalkanen S., von Essen R., Lahesmaa-Rantala R., Isomäki O., Pekkola-Heino K., Merilahti-Palo R., Saario R., Isomäki H., Toivanen A. Yersinia antigens in synovial-fluid cells from patients with reactive arthritis. N Engl J Med. 1989 Jan 26;320(4):216–221. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198901263200404. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Granfors K., Merilahti-Palo R., Luukkainen R., Möttönen T., Lahesmaa R., Probst P., Märker-Hermann E., Toivanen P. Persistence of Yersinia antigens in peripheral blood cells from patients with Yersinia enterocolitica O:3 infection with or without reactive arthritis. Arthritis Rheum. 1998 May;41(5):855–862. doi: 10.1002/1529-0131(199805)41:5<855::AID-ART12>3.0.CO;2-J. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Gérard H. C., Branigan P. J., Schumacher H. R., Jr, Hudson A. P. Synovial Chlamydia trachomatis in patients with reactive arthritis/Reiter's syndrome are viable but show aberrant gene expression. J Rheumatol. 1998 Apr;25(4):734–742. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Hammer M., Zeidler H. 'Inflammation or sepsis' is not the actual question in reactive arthritis. Br J Rheumatol. 1994 Feb;33(2):199–200. doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/33.2.199-a. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Hammer M., Zeidler H., Klimsa S., Heesemann J. Yersinia enterocolitica in the synovial membrane of patients with Yersinia-induced arthritis. Arthritis Rheum. 1990 Dec;33(12):1795–1800. doi: 10.1002/art.1780331206. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Hill A. V., Jepson A., Plebanski M., Gilbert S. C. Genetic analysis of host-parasite coevolution in human malaria. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 1997 Sep 29;352(1359):1317–1325. doi: 10.1098/rstb.1997.0116. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Jaulhac B., Chary-Valckenaere I., Sibilia J., Javier R. M., Piémont Y., Kuntz J. L., Monteil H., Pourel J. Detection of Borrelia burgdorferi by DNA amplification in synovial tissue samples from patients with Lyme arthritis. Arthritis Rheum. 1996 May;39(5):736–745. doi: 10.1002/art.1780390505. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Kingsley G., Sieper J. Third International Workshop on Reactive Arthritis. 23-26 September 1995, Berlin, Germany. Report and abstracts. Ann Rheum Dis. 1996 Aug;55(8):564–584. doi: 10.1136/ard.55.8.564. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Kuipers J. G., Jürgens-Saathoff B., Bialowons A., Wollenhaupt J., Köhler L., Zeidler H. Detection of Chlamydia trachomatis in peripheral blood leukocytes of reactive arthritis patients by polymerase chain reaction. Arthritis Rheum. 1998 Oct;41(10):1894–1895. doi: 10.1002/1529-0131(199810)41:10<1894::AID-ART24>3.0.CO;2-E. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Kuipers J. G., Nietfeld L., Dreses-Werringloer U., Koehler L., Wollenhaupt J., Zeidler H., Hammer M. Optimised sample preparation of synovial fluid for detection of Chlamydia trachomatis DNA by polymerase chain reaction. Ann Rheum Dis. 1999 Feb;58(2):103–108. doi: 10.1136/ard.58.2.103. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Li F., Bulbul R., Schumacher H. R., Jr, Kieber-Emmons T., Callegari P. E., Von Feldt J. M., Norden D., Freundlich B., Wang B., Imonitie V. Molecular detection of bacterial DNA in venereal-associated arthritis. Arthritis Rheum. 1996 Jun;39(6):950–958. doi: 10.1002/art.1780390612. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Liebling M. R., Arkfeld D. G., Michelini G. A., Nishio M. J., Eng B. J., Jin T., Louie J. S. Identification of Neisseria gonorrhoeae in synovial fluid using the polymerase chain reaction. Arthritis Rheum. 1994 May;37(5):702–709. doi: 10.1002/art.1780370514. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Loeser R. F. Growth factor regulation of chondrocyte integrins. Differential effects of insulin-like growth factor 1 and transforming growth factor beta on alpha 1 beta 1 integrin expression and chondrocyte adhesion to type VI collagen. Arthritis Rheum. 1997 Feb;40(2):270–276. doi: 10.1002/art.1780400211. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Morrison R. P. Persistent Chlamydia trachomatis infection: in vitro phenomenon or in vivo trigger of reactive arthritis? J Rheumatol. 1998 Apr;25(4):610–612. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Nanagara R., Li F., Beutler A., Hudson A., Schumacher H. R., Jr Alteration of Chlamydia trachomatis biologic behavior in synovial membranes. Suppression of surface antigen production in reactive arthritis and Reiter's syndrome. Arthritis Rheum. 1995 Oct;38(10):1410–1417. doi: 10.1002/art.1780381008. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Rook G. A., Stanford J. L. Slow bacterial infections or autoimmunity? Immunol Today. 1992 May;13(5):160–164. doi: 10.1016/0167-5699(92)90119-R. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Rosler D. H., Citera G., Anaya J. M., Cuellar M. L., Espinoza L. R. Reactive arthritis following Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in a post-renal transplant patient. Br J Rheumatol. 1994 Jul;33(7):692–693. doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/33.7.692. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Schumacher H. R., Jr, Magge S., Cherian P. V., Sleckman J., Rothfuss S., Clayburne G., Sieck M. Light and electron microscopic studies on the synovial membrane in Reiter's syndrome. Immunocytochemical identification of chlamydial antigen in patients with early disease. Arthritis Rheum. 1988 Aug;31(8):937–946. doi: 10.1002/art.1780310801. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Toivanen A., Toivanen P. Epidemiologic, clinical, and therapeutic aspects of reactive arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis. Curr Opin Rheumatol. 1995 Jul;7(4):279–283. doi: 10.1097/00002281-199507000-00003. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Toivanen P., Toivanen A. Role of micro-organisms in the pathogenesis of arthritis: lessons from reactive and Lyme arthritis. Scand J Rheumatol Suppl. 1995;101:191–197. doi: 10.3109/03009749509100927. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Viitanen A. M., Arstila T. P., Lahesmaa R., Granfors K., Skurnik M., Toivanen P. Application of the polymerase chain reaction and immunofluorescence techniques to the detection of bacteria in Yersinia-triggered reactive arthritis. Arthritis Rheum. 1991 Jan;34(1):89–96. doi: 10.1002/art.1780340114. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Yin Z., Braun J., Neure L., Wu P., Liu L., Eggens U., Sieper J. Crucial role of interleukin-10/interleukin-12 balance in the regulation of the type 2 T helper cytokine response in reactive arthritis. Arthritis Rheum. 1997 Oct;40(10):1788–1797. doi: 10.1002/art.1780401010. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES