TY  - BOOK
AU  - Delungahawatta, Thilini
AU  - Haas, Christopher
AU  - Rao, Shiavax J
AU  - Wolff, Marcos
TI  - Pulmonary Clostridium perfringens: Seeding Beyond the Gastrointestinal Tract
SN  - 2000-9666
PY  - 2024///
KW  - Automated
KW  - MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center
KW  - MedStar Union Memorial Hospital
KW  - Hospitalist
KW  - Infectious Diseases
KW  - Internal Medicine Residency
KW  - Medicine
KW  - Case Reports
N2  - Clostridia perfringens infection outside the gastrointestinal system is rare. Here, we report on a 75-year-old man with history of end-stage renal disease presenting after a syncopal event with lactic acidosis, leukocytosis, and mild hyper-bilirubinemia. Chest imaging revealed a loculated, left-sided pleural effusion; diagnostic thoracentesis identified Clostridia perfringens, consistent with an empyema. Video-assisted thoracic left lung decortication was performed; tissue culture also speciated Clostridia perfringens. Further imaging revealed concomitant acute cholecystitis, suggesting hematogenous seeding or transdiaphragmatic extension of Clostridia perfringens to pleural space from an abdominal source. The patient was successfully managed with laparoscopic cholecystectomy and discharged on a one-month course of amoxicillin-sulbactam. This case highlights the potential for Clostridia perfringens to produce a pleuropulmonary infection, necessitating timely diagnosis and intervention, to improve patient outcomes. Copyright © 2024 Greater Baltimore Medical Center
UR  - https://dx.doi.org/10.55729/2000-9666.1274
ER  -