Case report
Clindamycin-resistant Clostridium perfringens cellulitis

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtv.2008.04.001Get rights and content

Abstract

Clostridium perfringens is responsible for a number of clinical conditions ranging from relatively mild food poisoning to the potentially life-threatening gas gangrene. Fortunately, C. perfringens has remained relatively susceptible to first line antibiotics in the treatment of soft tissue infection, however, the prevalence of antibiotic resistance is increasing amongst other anaerobic organisms. A case of anaerobic cellulitis caused by a clindamycin-resistant C. perfringens is described here, emphasising the emerging problem of antimicrobial resistance.

Section snippets

Case presentation

A 70-year-old male was transferred to the surgical ward from a neighbouring district general hospital with a 17 cm × 15 cm × 11 cm mass in the right upper thigh, suspicious of a sarcoma on CT imaging. These findings were confirmed after analysis of a biopsy obtained under ultrasonic guidance. The sarcoma, which weighed approximately 5 kg was excised and a drain was inserted into the right inguinal region.

Ten days after surgery, a wound had developed in the right inguinal region, although there was

Discussion

C. perfringens is a spore-forming anaerobic bacilli that is widely distributed in the environment (soil, sewage, food, dust) and in the intestinal tracts of human and domestic animals. In humans, it is responsible for a number of clinical conditions ranging from relatively mild food poisoning to the potentially life-threatening gas gangrene [1]. Three types of clostridial soft tissue infections have been described: simple wound contamination, anaerobic cellulitis, and myonecrosis [2]. Anaerobic

Conflict of interest statement

There is no conflict of interest.

References (10)

  • L.G.Y. Claeys et al.

    Anaerobic cellulitis as the result of Clostridium perfringens: a rare cause of vascular access graft infection

    J Vasc Surg

    (2002)
  • J.I. Rood et al.

    Molecular genetics and pathogenesis of Clostridium perfringens

    Microbiol Rev

    (1991)
  • M.M. Awad et al.

    Virulence studies on chromosomal alpha-toxin and theta toxin mutants constructed by allelic exchange provide genetic evidence for the essential role of alpha-toxin in Clostridium perfringens-mediated gas gangrene

    Mol Microbiol

    (1995)
  • D.L. Kasper et al.

    Gas gangrene, antibiotic-associated colitis, and other Clostridial infections

  • S.L. Gorbach

    Clostridium perfringens and other clostridia

There are more references available in the full text version of this article.

Cited by (17)

View all citing articles on Scopus
View full text
Copyright © 2008 Tissue Viability Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.