Kingella kingae is a facultative anaerobic gram-negative coccobacillus, which in some studies is the most common bacterial cause of osteoarticular infections in children between 6 months and 48 months of age. In young children the pathogen is part of the commensal flora of the posterior pharynx from where it can spread to distant sites and cause invasive disease like septic arthritis, osteomyelitis and endocarditis. Invasive disease occurs most frequently in the age-groups with the highest carriage rates. Rates of carriage and invasive infections are low in children under 6 months of age, reach a peak in those between 12 and 24 months, followed by a significant decrease above 30 months of age.
K. kingae is a fastidious organism which is difficult to detect by culture. Detection in throat specimens is difficult due to the complexity and extent of the oropharyngeal flora and is optimal on blood agar with vancomycin. Culturing K. kingae from joint fluids is especially challenging, but has been proven to be enhanced by inoculation in blood culture bottles. Even when using this technique the bacteria was found 6 times more frequently in the throats than in joint fluids of children with K. kingae arthritis. Detection rates increase up to 4 times by using PCR instead of culture.
Microbiology - Virology
KING
Testing is batched daily Monday-Friday at approximately 9.30am, with results available from mid-afternoon.
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