Abstract: OBJECTIVE To explore the distribution and drug resistance of pathogens isolated from the patients with joint cavity infections so as to provide guidance for prevention and treatment of the infections. METHODS The clinical data that were collected from 1 000 patients with joint diseases who were treated in the hospital from Aug 2012 to Aug 2015 were retrospectively analyzed. All of the patients received knee joint cavity puncture and articular injection, the specimens were collected from the patients with joint cavity infections and were inoculated in blood culture bottle. The incidence of nosocomial infections, constituent ratios of pathogens, and drug resistance were recorded; the relevant data of nosocomial infections were collected, and the risk factors for the infections were observed and compared. RESULTS Of 1 000 patients, 60 had the joint cavity infections, with the infection rate 6.0%. A total of 75 strains of pathogens were isolated, including 35 (46.7%) strains of gram-positive bacteria, 31 (41.3%) strains of gram-negative bacteria, and 9 (12.0%) strains of fungi. The drug resistance rate of the gram-positive bacteria to vancomycin was relatively low; the drug resistance rates of the gram-negative bacteria to imipenem and meropenem were relatively low. The incidence of joint cavity infections was significantly increased in the patients with more than 60 years of age, the patients with history of diabetic mellitus, or the patients without receiving standard joint cavity puncture(P<0.05). CONCLUSION The gram-positive bacteria are dominant among the pathogens causing the joint cavity infections; the pathogens are highly resistant to the commonly used antibiotics. It is necessary for the patients with joint cavity infections to choose sensitive antibiotics based on the result of the drug susceptibility testing so as to improve the effect on prevention and treatment of the infections.