Clostridium difficile vertebral osteomyelitis

Pediatr Infect Dis J. 2013 Sep;32(9):1030-2. doi: 10.1097/INF.0b013e318296b424.

Abstract

Clostridium difficile is the most common cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea, and it occasionally causes extraintestinal infections. We present a case of C. difficile-associated diarrhea that led to vertebral osteomyelitis associated with hardware. The osteomyelitis became symptomatic 2 years after the initial diarrheal event. C. difficile recovered from internal hardware sites cannot simply be regarded as a contaminant but should be treated.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Clostridioides difficile / genetics
  • Clostridioides difficile / isolation & purification*
  • Clostridium Infections / diagnosis*
  • Clostridium Infections / microbiology
  • Clostridium Infections / pathology
  • Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Molecular Typing
  • Osteomyelitis / diagnosis*
  • Osteomyelitis / microbiology
  • Osteomyelitis / pathology
  • Spinal Diseases / diagnosis*
  • Spinal Diseases / microbiology
  • Spinal Diseases / pathology