Antimicrobial therapy for bone and joint infections.

Bone and joint infections present a major therapeutic dilemma for health care providers from different medical and surgical specialties. There is a conspicuous lack of strong data on epidemiologic findings, financial impact related to loss of work, and rehabilitation cost in the area of bone infections. This review outlines the antimicrobial options and duration of therapy for osteomyelitis, prostheses-associated orthopedic infections, and septic arthritis.