Importance of the oropharyngeal microbial flora in invasive infections

Infectious arthritis has an annual incidence of 4 cases/100 000 children. Its more frequent location is the lower member and the most frequent microorganism involved is Staphylococcus aureus via bloodstream, so the initial antibiotic coverage is usually directed against this pathogen. However, in some situations such as periodontal disease, we must think of pathogens from the oropharyngeal microbial flora, for example Fusobacterium nucleatum, because 50% of them are penicillin and some cephalosporins resistant, which are part of the empirical antibiotic treatment of osteoarticular infections in the pediatric population.