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Updated: Sep 26, 2025
Cefoperazone-treated Mouse Model of Clinically-relevant Clostridium difficile Strain R20291
Published on: December 10, 2016
Clostridioides difficile Pyogenic Liver Abscess With an Empyema
Suhas P Dasari1, Mit A Patel2, Vishmayaa Saravanan2
1Department of Internal Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, sdasari@mcw.edu.
Introduction:
Reports of extraintestinal manifestations of Clostridioides difficile (C difficile) infections are rare. The frequency of these infections comprises approximately 0.17% to 0.6% of all C difficile infections. While they are becoming more frequent worldwide, the precise trend is unclear.
Case Presentation:
An 83-year-old female patient presented with pleuritic chest pain 2 to 3 months after a needle biopsy of her liver abscess confirmed C difficile. She was found to have extension of the liver abscess into the chest cavity, leading to empyema, and was treated with intravenous antimicrobials.
Discussion:
This is the fifth known reported case of C difficile leading to a pyogenic liver abscess and the first case where the C difficile liver abscess was associated with an empyema. While long-term metronidazole is considered effective for managing extra intestinal C difficile infection, our patient was treated with vancomycin and meropenem.
Conclusion:
To determine epidemiology and a proper treatment regimen for extraintestinal C difficile infection, a greater accumulation of cases is necessary.
Insights
Extraintestinal Clostridioides difficile (C difficile) infections are rare but increasing. This case details a C difficile liver abscess extending into the chest, causing empyema, highlighting the need for more research on these severe infections.
Area of Science:
- Infectious Diseases
- Gastroenterology
- Pulmonology
Background:
- Extraintestinal manifestations of Clostridioides difficile (C difficile) infections are infrequent, accounting for 0.17%–0.6% of all C difficile infections.
- While the global incidence of these infections is rising, definitive epidemiological trends remain elusive.
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