title: Infective thoracic aortic aneurysm caused by Clostridium difficile after endovascular aortic repair.
abstract: Clostridium difficile generally causes enterocolitis by producing pathogenic toxins, while extraintestinal infections with C. difficile are extremely rare. Here we report the first documented case of an infective thoracic aortic aneurysm caused by nontoxic C. difficile that occurred after vascular interventions including endovascular aortic repair. The present case illustrates that endovascular interventions may expose patients to the rare infection by yielding the ischemic intestinal tract as an entry site for the pathogen into the bloodstream and providing an anaerobic environment inside the thrombosed aneurysm.
authors: Division of Infection Control and Prevention, Osaka University Hospital, Japan. Electronic address: highgear@hp-infect.med.osaka-u.ac.jp.
authors: Hideharu
authors: H
authors: Hagiya
authors: Laboratory for Clinical Investigation, Osaka University Hospital, Japan.
authors: Keigo
authors: K
authors: Kimura
authors: Laboratory for Clinical Investigation, Osaka University Hospital, Japan.
authors: Akiko
authors: A
authors: Ueda
authors: Laboratory for Clinical Investigation, Osaka University Hospital, Japan.
authors: Isao
authors: I
authors: Nishi
authors: Division of Infection Control and Prevention, Osaka University Hospital, Japan.
authors: Norihisa
authors: N
authors: Yamamoto
authors: Division of Infection Control and Prevention, Osaka University Hospital, Japan.
authors: Hisao
authors: H
authors: Yoshida
authors: Division of Infection Control and Prevention, Osaka University Hospital, Japan.
authors: Kazunori
authors: K
authors: Tomono
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D017545:Aortic Aneurysm, Thoracic / Q000209:etiology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D001807:Blood Vessel Prosthesis / Q000382:microbiology*; D016360:Clostridioides difficile / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015607:Stents / Q000382:microbiology
keywords: Clostridium difficile; Endovascular aortic repairs; Endovascular intervention; Extraintestinal infection; Infective aneurysm