A series of bacterial hand infections has shown a normal CRP in 131/208 patients (63%); however, CRP did not distinguish between soft tissue infection and osteomyelitis.19 Other studies which have focused primarily on septic arthritis of the hand rather than short bone osteomyelitis have shown that septic arthritis in small joints of the hand has lower CRP values compared with larger joints, mean: 59 mg/L (SD: 78) versus mean: 156 mg/L (SD: 107).20 The gene discussed is CRP; the disease is bacterial arthritis.