The septic arthritis literature of 2000 revisited several topics previously examined in some detail. These include septic arthritis in rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatic manifestations of bacterial endocarditis, and infectious complications of prosthetic joints. The trend in antibiotic prophylaxis to prevent late infections in total joint replacement is to narrow the targeted hosts to those most at risk, to define the procedures associated with the greatest risk of bacteremia, and to simplify the antibiotic regimen. The diagnoses of septic arthritis of the lumbar facet joint and septic arthritis caused by direct inoculation of bacteria by a foreign object penetrating the joint are facilitated by noninvasive imaging technologies. Septic arthritis caused by uncommon microorganisms and septic arthritis in immunocompromised hosts are other noteworthy topics in this year's literature.