Causes of Osteomyelitis

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Bacteria or rarely a fungus multiply on the bone and causes infection:

Bacteria travel to the bone via the bloodstream, such as staphylococci spreading from a boil or other skin infection or following an injury that leads to an infection e.g. a deep cut, a broken bone or surgery to a bone.

Your risk of developing osteomyelitis increases if you:

have recently broken a bone or had surgery affecting a bone,
are diabetic,
have had your spleen removed,
are having kidney dialysis,
are an intravenous drug user,
have a problems with your immune system, (for example HIV or sickle cell disease).

Osteomyelitis can be caused by the tuberculosis (TB) bacterium. This often affects the vertebrae (spinal bones).