Sternoclavicular Joint Septic Arthritis With Small-Colony Variant Staphylococcus Aureus

Small-colony variants of Staphylococcus aureus may cause invasive disease in adults that is prolonged and refractory to standard therapies. We present a case of sternoclavicular arthritis with small-colony variant S. aureus that occurred in an 11-year-old child and discuss the importance of identification of these variants in the clinical microbiology laboratory. (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Inc.