title: [Gas gangrene as a manifestation of endogenous Clostridium septicum infection].
abstract: Endogenous, nontraumatic clostridial myonecrosis has a frequent association with colon carcinoma, leukemia, diabetes mellitus, and drug-induced immunosuppression. We present two cases of Clostridium septicum myonecrosis. An 18-year-old girl developed severe abdominal pain on day 7 after hospitalization for cytostatic treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Blood cultures yielded Clostridium septicum and histopathological exam of muscle tissue showed extended myonecrosis. Eventually the patient recovered with antibiotics and surgical therapy. A 72-year-old diabetic woman was treated as an outpatient with an intramuscular injection of steroidal antiphlogistics for "acute lumbar disc disease". The next morning persistence of hip pain and discoloration of the right thigh caused hospitalization under the suspected diagnosis "fracture of the neck of the femur". Clostridium septicum was cultured from intraoperatively taken swabs. At autopsy, in addition to the gangrene, there was an adenocarcinoma of the cecum, which had not been diagnosed during life.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Hygiene, Universität Innsbruck.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fille
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Allerberger
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Koller
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hackl
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lingnau
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tilg
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ambach
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kreczy
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gschnitzer
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Semenitz
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000368:Aged; D000903:Antibiotics, Antineoplastic / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002985:Clinical Protocols; D003015:Clostridium Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D005738:Gas Gangrene / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D006621:Hip Joint / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000150:complications* / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D000903:Antibiotics, Antineoplastic