Clostridium tertium bacteremia: contamination or true pathogen? A report of two cases and a review of the literature.
We observed two cases of Clostridium tertium bacteremia three months apart in the sterile unit of our department of hematology and oncology. One patient was being treated for first-relapse acute myeloblastic leukemia, while the second was receiving high-dose chemotherapy with hematopoietic stem cell support for non-Hodgkin lymphoma. At the time that C. tertium was identified, the first patient was completely asymptomatic, while the second was highly febrile. Both responded biologically and/or clinically to antibiotherapy. We discuss the epidemiology and pathology of C. tertium in the general and cancer patient population.
Vanderhofstadt
Maud
M
Department of Oncology and Hematology, Grand Hôpital de Charleroi, Charleroi, Belgium.
André
Marc
M
Lonchay
Christophe
C
Levecque
Pierre
P
Holemans
Xavier
X
Canon
Jean-Luc
JL
D'Hondt
Lionel
L
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016470:Bacteremia / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D003015:Clostridium Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D048010:Clostridium tertium / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015470:Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy; D016393:Lymphoma, B-Cell / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009503:Neutropenia / Q000150:complications; D055815:Young Adult
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents