Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 16, 2025
06:51
Cefoperazone-treated Mouse Model of Clinically-relevant Clostridium difficile Strain R20291
Published on: December 10, 2016
12.7K
Acute Inflammatory Ascites Complicating Clostridium difficile Colitis
George S Zacharia1, Shivani Jani1, Manjola Doda1
1Internal Medicine, BronxCare Health System, New York, USA.
Cureus
|July 11, 2025
Summary
Clostridium difficile (CD) infection can cause ascites, a rare complication. Treating the colitis effectively resolved the ascites in this case.
Area of Science:
- Gastroenterology
- Infectious Diseases
- Internal Medicine
Background:
- Clostridium difficile (CD) infection is a common cause of infectious diarrhea.
- Ascites is an infrequent but serious complication of severe CD colitis.
- The pathogenesis of ascites in CD colitis is not fully understood.
Observation:
- A middle-aged woman with opioid overdose developed severe CD colitis.
- She presented with ascites characterized by low serum-ascites albumin gradient (SAAG), high protein, and neutrophil predominance.
- No colonic perforation or alternative cause for ascites was identified.
Findings:
- Treatment with oral vancomycin and intravenous metronidazole resolved both the CD colitis and the ascites.
- This case demonstrates an atypical presentation of CD infection.
Implications:
- Recognizing uncommon manifestations of CD is crucial for timely diagnosis and management.
- Treatment of the underlying CD colitis appears to be sufficient for resolving associated ascites.
- Further research may elucidate the specific mechanisms driving ascites in CD colitis.
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