Clostridial bacteremia in the community hospital

Abstract

Anaerobic infections are not commonly studied in the community hospital. The aim of this study was to determine demographic factors, the portals of entry and underlying disorders for clostridial bacteremia and to determine whether appropriate (recommended) treatment is effective. Medical records were reviewed for 42 patients with clostridial bacteremia at 1 Florida, USA, hospital and 4 Dayton, Ohio, USA, hospitals. Fourteen (33.3%) of the patients had clostridial micro-organisms that were isolated in cultures with polymicrobial isolates. Only about half of the patients had fever at the onset of their bacteremia and only slightly more than half had elevated leukocyte counts. The most common portals of entry for the micro-organisms were gastrointestinal (42.9%), unknown (35.7%) and skin (16.7%). The most common underlying disorders were advanced malignancy (31.0%), diabetes mellitus (14.3%), none determined (12.0%) and acute cholecystitis (9.5%). The mortality rate was 23.8%. Timely appropriate treatment was started in only about half of the instances. Appropriate (recommended) treatment did not significantly affect survival (p = 0.469). Clostridial infections and bacteremia exist in the community hospital most commonly in severely ill patients. The fact that clostridia are commonly cultured in blood cultures positive for other bacterial pathogens and that appropriate treatment for clostridia did not affect patient survival, call into question the significance and pathogenicity of clostridial organisms. On the other hand, if clostridial bacteremia was not considered in half these patients with bacteremia, it is possible that more indolent clostridial infections are being overlooked.