Division BJ-BONE: Osteomyelitis

Osteomyelitis must meet at least one of the following criteria:

• Patient has organisms cultured from bone

• Patient has evidence of osteomyelitis on direct examination of the bone during a surgical operation or histopathologic examination

• Patient has at least 2 of the following signs or symptoms with no other recognized cause: fever (> 38 °C), localized swelling, tenderness, heat, or drainage at suspected site of bone infection

  AND at least 1 of the following:

  • organisms cultured from blood

  • positive blood antigen test (for example, Haemophilus influenzae, Streptococcus pneumoniae)

  • radiographic evidence of infection (for example, abnormal findings on X-ray, CT scan, MRI, radiolabel scan (gallium, technetium, etc.)).