Jpn. J. Infect. Dis., 57, 210-211, 2004

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Short Communication

Long-Term Post-Salmonella Reactive Arthritis due to Salmonella Blockley

Ian G. Wilson* and Esme Whitehead¹

Northern Ireland Public Health Laboratory, Bacteriology Department,
Belfast City Hospital, Belfast and ¹Rheumatology Department, Antrim Area Hospital, Antrim, UK

(Received March 12, 2004. Accepted May 10, 2004)

*Corresponding author: Mailing address: Northern Ireland Public Health Laboratory, Bacteriology Department, Belfast City Hospital, Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7AD, UK. Tel: +44-28-90263553, Fax: +44-28-90263991. E-mail: ian.wilson@bll.n-i.nhs.uk

SUMMARY: We describe the case of a patient who became ill with Salmonella Blockley food poisoning while working in Cyprus in August 1994. As his diarrhoea resolved he began to suffer from lower limb joint pains which were diagnosed as acute salmonella reactive arthritis. His condition deteriorated, then improved somewhat over a period of two years, but he continued to suffer symptoms over five years after infection. This case predates other reported cases of S. Blockley infection in Cyprus by four years. S. Blockley is associated with chickens, and the chicken meal is the probable source of his infection. This case is of interest since it demonstrates the emergence of the serovar outside South East Asia where it is common, and shows that information on the incidence and duration of reactive arthritis caused by serovars other than S. Enteritidis and S. Typhimurium is limited.

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