Fatal Clostridium tertium septicemia in a nonneutropenic patient.
Clostridium tertium septicemia is a rare condition that predominantly occurs in neutropenic patients with concomitant abdominal disease. We report the fatal case of a nonneutropenic, 51-year-old patient with mechanical ileus and post-operative C. tertium septicemia, resulting in widespread pathology with multi-organ failure. As C. tertium is aerotolerant, often gram-variable and mostly resistant to broad-spectrum cephalosporins, differentiation is difficult and empirical therapeutic strategies may fail.
Tappe
Dennis
D
Institute of Hygiene and Microbiology, University of Würzburg, Josef-Schneider-Str. 2, 97080 Würzburg, Germany.
Dirks
Jürgen
J
Müller
Rainer
R
Brederlau
Jörg
J
Abele-Horn
Marianne
M
Suerbaum
Sebastian
S
Kurzai
Oliver
O
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D016470:Bacteremia / Q000382:microbiology*; D003015:Clostridium Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D048010:Clostridium tertium / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D045823:Ileus / Q000601:surgery; D007121:Immunocompetence; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000601:surgery; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008875:Middle Aged; D009102:Multiple Organ Failure
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents