title: Clostridium tertium bacteremia: contamination or true pathogen? A report of two cases and a review of the literature.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology and Hematology, Grand Hôpital de Charleroi, Charleroi, Belgium.
authors.forename: Maud
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vanderhofstadt
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: André
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lonchay
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Levecque
authors.forename: Xavier
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Holemans
authors.forename: Jean-Luc
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Canon
authors.forename: Lionel
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: D'Hondt
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents