J Infect. 2002 Jan; 44(1): 43-4.

Acupuncture-associated arthritis in a joint with an orthopaedic implant.

Laing AJ, Mullett H, Gilmore MF.

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Merlin Park Regional Hospital, Galway, Ireland. ajlaing@gofree.indigo.ie

Viral infection is a well-recognized complication of acupuncture therapy. Bacterial infection however is rare. We report a rare case of intra-articular bacterial knee infection due to inadvertent acupuncture needle penetration.Copyright 2002 The British Infection Society.