Clostridium septicum
From IDWiki
Background
Microbiology
- Gram-positive bacillus
- Member of the genus Clostridium
- Produces alpha toxin
Risk factors
- Associated with colon cancer or neutropenia
- Diabetes also a risk factor
Clinical Manifestations
- Can cause bacteremia and non-traumatic myonecrosis
- Clinical presentation is typically fulminant sepsis, which very high mortality
Management
- Aggressive surgical debridement, possibly including amputation
- Broad-spectrum antibiotics for necrotizing fasciitis are indicated until the microbiologic diagnosis is confirmed
- First-line antimicrobials are penicillin 2-4 million units IV q4h plus clindamycin 600-900 mg IV q6h
