Abstract
Abiotrophia defectiva, a nutritionally variant streptococcus, is an uncommon yet significant pathogen primarily associated with infective endocarditis and, more rarely, septic arthritis. We report a 23-year-old male patient who presented to a tertiary care centre in Rustaq, Oman, in 2024 with right knee pain and fever following an anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Standard cultures remained negative, but enrichment broth and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry enabled prompt identification of A. defectiva. Subsequently, the patient was diagnosed with native knee septic arthritis due to A. defective. Following surgical debridement, the patient completed a 4-week course of targeted antibiotic therapy, resulting in full recovery and normalisation of inflammatory markers. This case highlights the value of enrichment media and advanced diagnostic techniques in detecting fastidious pathogens in postoperative joint infections.
Publication details
- DOI
- 10.18295/2075-0528.2956
- Journal
- Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal, 26(1), 59-62
- Publisher
- Sultan Qaboos University
- Open access
- Gold open access
- License
- CC BY-ND 4.0
Cite this article
APA 7
Al Mamari, A., Al Hudar, S., & Al Salti, M. (2026). Rare Infection with Precise Detection: Abiotrophia defectiva septic arthritis following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal, 26(1), 59-62. https://doi.org/10.18295/2075-0528.2956
MLA 9
Al Mamari, Ahmed, et al. "Rare Infection with Precise Detection: Abiotrophia defectiva septic arthritis following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction." Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal, vol. 26, no. 1, 2026, pp. 59-62. https://doi.org/10.18295/2075-0528.2956.
Chicago (author–date)
Al Mamari, Ahmed, Shouq Al Hudar, and Maya Al Salti. 2026. "Rare Infection with Precise Detection: Abiotrophia defectiva septic arthritis following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction." Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal 26 (1): 59-62. https://doi.org/10.18295/2075-0528.2956.
Harvard
Al Mamari, A., Al Hudar, S. and Al Salti, M. (2026) 'Rare Infection with Precise Detection: Abiotrophia defectiva septic arthritis following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction', Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal, 26(1), pp. 59-62. doi:10.18295/2075-0528.2956.
Vancouver
Al Mamari A, Al Hudar S, Al Salti M. Rare Infection with Precise Detection: Abiotrophia defectiva septic arthritis following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal. 2026;26(1):59-62. doi:10.18295/2075-0528.2956
IEEE
A. Al Mamari, S. Al Hudar, and M. Al Salti, "Rare Infection with Precise Detection: Abiotrophia defectiva septic arthritis following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction," Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal, vol. 26, no. 1, pp. 59-62, 2026, doi: 10.18295/2075-0528.2956.