Osteomyelitis, infection of bone tissue. The condition is most commonly caused by the infectious organism Staphylococcus aureus, which reaches the bone via the bloodstream or by extension from a local injury; inflammation follows with destruction of the cancellous (porous) bone and marrow, loss of blood supply, and bone death. Living bone grows around the infected area and walls in the dead tissue, forming an involucrum, the contents of which are gradually resorbed as the lesion is repaired. Symptoms include fever, chills, and bone pain; later, swelling and redness may develop around the area of infection.
