Acute Infectious Arthritis By Steven Schmitt, MD, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University Reviewed / Revised Jul 2022 | Modified Sep 2022 View Patient Education Etiology Pathophysiology Symptoms and Signs Diagnosis Prognosis Treatment Key Points Topic Resources Disseminated Gonococcal Infection... MRI of Gonococcal Arthritis... Risk Factors for Infectious... Organisms That Commonly Cause... Acute infectious (septic) arthritis is a joint infection that evolves over hours or days.