Clostridioides difficile Pyogenic Liver Abscess With an Empyema. WMJ 2022 Apr;121(1):E5-E9
Date
04/21/2022Pubmed ID
35442586Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85128796818 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 5 CitationsAbstract
INTRODUCTION: Reports of extraintestinal manifestations of Clostridioides difficile (C difficile) infections are rare. The frequency of these infections comprises approximately 0.17% to 0.6% of all C difficile infections. While they are becoming more frequent worldwide, the precise trend is unclear.
CASE PRESENTATION: An 83-year-old female patient presented with pleuritic chest pain 2 to 3 months after a needle biopsy of her liver abscess confirmed C difficile. She was found to have extension of the liver abscess into the chest cavity, leading to empyema, and was treated with intravenous antimicrobials.
DISCUSSION: This is the fifth known reported case of C difficile leading to a pyogenic liver abscess and the first case where the C difficile liver abscess was associated with an empyema. While long-term metronidazole is considered effective for managing extra intestinal C difficile infection, our patient was treated with vancomycin and meropenem.
CONCLUSION: To determine epidemiology and a proper treatment regimen for extraintestinal C difficile infection, a greater accumulation of cases is necessary.
Author List
Dasari SP, Patel MA, Saravanan V, Jha S, O'Sullivan KL, Gill HS, Acharya P, Jha PAuthors
Pramod Acharya MBBS Assistant Professor in the Medicine department at Medical College of WisconsinPinky Jha MBBS, MPH Professor in the Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin
MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
Aged, 80 and overAnti-Bacterial Agents
Clostridium Infections
Empyema
Female
Humans
Liver Abscess, Pyogenic
