A Rare Case of Fatal Sepsis due to Clostridium perfringens

Autores

  • Cátia Gorgulho Serviço de Medicina Interna, Unidade Local de Saúde do Médio Tejo, Hospital de Abrantes, Abrantes, Portugal
  • Joana Freitas Ribeiro Serviço de Medicina Interna, Unidade Local de Saúde do Médio Tejo, Hospital de Abrantes, Abrantes, Portugal
  • Débora Lopes Serviço de Medicina Intensiva, Unidade Local de Saúde do Médio Tejo, Hospital de Abrantes, Abrantes, Portugal
  • Luís França Serviço de Medicina Intensiva, Unidade Local de Saúde do Médio Tejo, Hospital de Abrantes, Abrantes, Portugal
  • Nuno Catorze Serviço de Medicina Intensiva, Unidade Local de Saúde do Médio Tejo, Hospital de Abrantes, Abrantes, Portugal

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.60591/crspmi.347

Palavras-chave:

Clostridium Infections, Clostridium perfringens, Sepsis, Shock, Septic

Resumo

Clostridium perfringens is a Gram-positive bacterium, a commensal of the human gastrointestinal flora, that can cause opportunistic infections such as gas gangrene and necrotizing
enterocolitis.

We report the case of a 71-year-old man presenting with abdominal pain and septic shock with severe hemolysis. Laparotomy revealed hepatic necrosis, signs of poor perfusion of intra-abdominal organs and rectal emphysema. Despite organ support, the patient developed refractory shock, resulting in death within 24 hours. Blood cultures and peritoneal fluid cultures were positive for Clostridium perfringens.

Clostridium perfringens bacteremia is rare and associated with high mortality rates, reaching 70%-100% within hours when complicated by hemolysis, as observed in this case. This highlights the need for a high degree of suspicion, timely
intervention, and consideration of new therapeutic approaches to reduce mortality.

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Publicado

28-03-2025

Como Citar

Gorgulho, C., Freitas Ribeiro, J., Lopes, D., França, L., & Catorze, N. (2025). A Rare Case of Fatal Sepsis due to Clostridium perfringens. SPMI Case Reports, 3(1), 16–20. https://doi.org/10.60591/crspmi.347

Edição

Vol. 3 N.º 1 (2025): Janeiro / Março

Secção

Casos Clínicos

Categorias

Licença

Direitos de Autor (c) 2025 Cátia Gorgulho, Joana Freitas Ribeiro, Débora Lopes, Luís França, Nuno Catorze

Creative Commons License

Este trabalho encontra-se publicado com a Licença Internacional Creative Commons Atribuição 4.0.

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