Fulminant Hepatic Failure and Fatal Cerebral Edema Following Clostridium perfringens Bacteremia: Case Report and Review of Literature

Cureus. 2017 Sep 26;9(9):e1714. doi: 10.7759/cureus.1714.

Abstract

Clostridium perfringens (CP) bacteremia is a rare but rapidly fatal infection. Only 36 cases of CP bacteremia with gas containing liver abscesses on image studies have been reported in the literature since 1990. In this report, we describe a 65-year-old diabetic male with CP bacteremia which progressed into fulminant hepatic failure with subsequent fatal cerebral edema.

Keywords: clostridium perfringens; diabetes mellitus; fatal cerebral edema; fulminant liver failure; hepatic abscesses.

Publication types

  • Case Reports