Final answer:
Postinfectious, antibiotic-refractory arthritis occurs when arthritis persists despite antibiotic treatment following an infection. This may be due to viral or fungal pathogens, or antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains, posing challenges to treatment.
Step-by-step explanation:
Postinfectious, antibiotic-refractory arthritis is a condition that can occur following an infection, where arthritis persists despite antibiotic treatment. Typically, the diagnosis of infectious arthritis involves aspirating a small quantity of synovial fluid from the afflicted joint and analyzing it through microscopy, culture, PCR, and antimicrobial susceptibility testing to identify the pathogen and determine the appropriate antimicrobial therapy.
Common treatments include ß-lactams for staphylococcal infections and third-generation cephalosporins for ß-lactam-resistant Neisseria infections. However, in cases of postinfectious, antibiotic-refractory arthritis, these treatments prove ineffective, which may be due to a viral or fungal pathogen, or an antibiotic-resistant bacterial strain. As such, antimicrobial resistance and chronic infectious arthritis, which constitutes a percentage of infectious arthritis cases, can be particularly challenging to treat.