Bacteremia due to Clostridium difficile: case report and review of extraintestinal C. difficile infections

Abstract

We report the case of an 85-year-old woman who developed diarrhea and bacteremia caused by Clostridium difficile after a prolonged hospitalization. C. difficile is a major cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea but only rarely has been reported to cause extraintestinal infection. Isolation of C. difficile from a wide range of specimens outside the intestinal tract has been reported and is not always associated with diarrhea or intestinal pathology.