Clostridium perfringens

Etiology

• penetrating trauma or ischemic bowel

Pathology

• intra-abdominal infection
  • sepsis
  • intravascular hemolysis
    • exotoxin phospholipase C lecithinase cleaves phospholipids in the erythrocyte membrane
• hepatic abscess (rare)
• myonecrosis, necrotizing infection of muscle & soft tissue, usually involves a limb

Laboratory

• gram stain: gram positive rods
• Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin in tissue/body fluid
• Clostridium perfringens serology
• Clostridium perfringens genotyping
• Clostridium perfringens toxin gene
• Clostridium perfringens culture

Differential diagnosis

• bartonellosis, malaria, babesiosis

Management

• penicillin + clindamycin

More general terms

• Clostridium