In a new study, researchers examined 77 kids, six months to four years of age, who had confirmed a bone or joint infection and found that throat swabs from the majority of the children (70%) indicated the presence of a bacteria called Kingella kingae. This bacteria was uncommon in throat swabs collected from 300 healthy children who served as a control group. The researchers hope their finding will help accelerate the diagnosis process for bone and joint infections, which may improve treatment outcomes.
CMAJ, September 2017