title: [Prosthetic endocarditis and splenic abscess caused by Clostridium clostridiformis].
abstract: We report the first case of Clostridium clostridiformis endocarditis in a 71 year old man with an aortic prosthetic valve. He was febrile with left upper quadrant pain and left lower lobe infiltrate in chest X ray. The diagnosis was made by gram-positive bacilli grown from three blood cultures. Transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiogram showed a paraaortic abscess. A computed tomographic scan of the abdomen revealed a large splenic abscess. He received penicillin G 4 million units every 4 hours intravenously. A successful percutaneous drainage guided computed tomographic scan was performed. The patient remained febrile and a new computed tomographic scan of the abdomen revealed residual splenic abscess. A splenectomy was performed. The patient defervesced on the second day of surgery and remained afebrile during the remainder of his hospitalization. He has returned for medical follow-up and two years later the patient is asymptomatic.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Cardiología, Hospital la Paz, Madrid.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Robles
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: García-Gallego
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: de Alba
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: García
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Domínguez
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Oliver
mesh_terms: D000038:Abscess / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D000368:Aged; D003015:Clostridium Infections / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004697:Endocarditis, Bacterial / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016459:Prosthesis-Related Infections / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D013158:Splenic Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D014463:Ultrasonography