Clostridium septicum is a bacterium that belongs to the Clostridium genus and is associated with various infections in humans. It is an anaerobic, Gram-positive, spore-forming bacterium commonly found in the environment, including soil and the gastrointestinal tracts of animals.
The epidemiology of C. septicum infections includes older age, immunosuppression, malignancies, gastrointestinal diseases, and recent surgery or trauma. The presence of C. septicum in the gastrointestinal tract can be detected in some individuals without any symptoms or disease.
C. septicum infections are relatively rare but can be severe and life-threatening. The bacterium is known to cause two main types of infections: clostridial myonecrosis (also known as gas gangrene) and non-traumatic clostridial infections.
Three hundred eighty-six special episodes with clostridial blood-stream infections were identified during the study period. The crude (95% CI) incidence rate was 4.8 (4.4–5.3) per 100.000 person-years, and the age-standardized incidence rate was 4.9 (4.5–5.5). The median age was 76, and 217/386 (56%) of patients were males.
There was also a predominance for males in all age strata, with an overall crude incidence of male rates of 5.4 per 100.000 person-years vs. 4.2 for females, resulting in an IRR (95% CI) of 1.29. Incidence rates were stable over time during the six years. When the 2022 taxonomy was used, the number of unique episodes was 322, resulting in an age-standardized incidence rate of 4.1.
Certain conditions increase the risk of Clostridium septicum infections. These include malignancies, mainly gastrointestinal and hematological cancers, neutropenia, immunosuppression, trauma or surgical wounds, diabetes mellitus, and bowel pathology (e.g., colorectal cancer, diverticulitis).
A gram-positive, rod-shaped bacteria called Clostridium septicum is a natural component of human gut flora—and other animals. C. septicum are spore formers with a terminal spore that gives them their drumstick-like shape.
They are also motile bacteria that use peritrichous flagella to navigate from one environment to another. C. septicum is a fermentative anaerobe that can live off various substrates like sugars, amino acids, and other organic compounds, generating molecular hydrogen gas and carbon dioxide as by-products of cellular respiration.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Bacteria
Phylum: Bacillota
Class: Clostridia
Order: Eubacteriales
Family: Clostridiaceae
Genus: Clostridium
Species: C. septicum
Clostridium septicum is not typically classified into distinct antigenic types like some other bacteria, and it can be identified based on its phenotypic characteristics and genetic analysis.
Various techniques, such as serotyping, DNA sequencing, and biochemical testing, can differentiate strains or isolate Clostridium septicum variations.
It is a rare but potentially life-threatening pathogen that can cause various infections, including soft tissue infections, gas gangrene, and bacteremia.
One of the numerous bacteria that cause myonecrosis, sometimes known as gas gangrene, is C. septicum.
Clostridium septicum is an obligate anaerobe that can only survive and grow in environments devoid of oxygen. This bacterium thrives in deep tissue wounds with limited or absent oxygen supply.
Toxins produced by Clostridium septicum add to the toxicity of the organism. The primary toxin of this bacteria is alpha toxin, sometimes called phospholipase C. The tissue deterioration seen in Clostridium septicum infections is caused by alpha-toxin.
Clostridium septicum can invade and spread through tissues. It produces enzymes, such as collagenase and hyaluronidase, which facilitate tissue degradation and allow the bacterium to invade more deep layers.
It has developed mechanisms to evade the host immune system. It produces factors that interfere with the host’s immune response, including complement evasion and inhibition of phagocytosis.
Certain underlying conditions or factors can increase the risk of developing Clostridium septicum infections. These include malignancies (mainly gastrointestinal tumors), immunosuppression, trauma, surgery, and other conditions that compromise skin integrity or mucosal barriers.
The mammalian cytosolic inflammasome complex is activated in mice and people by a pathogen that causes sepsis and gas gangrene. We show how C. septicum’s -toxin binds to proteins that are glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored to the host plasma membrane, oligomerizes, and forms a membrane hole that allows magnesium and potassium ions to escape.
The efflux of these cytosolic ions causes the activation of the innate immune sensor NLRP3, activating caspase-1 and gastrin D, secreting interleukin-1 and interleukin-18, promoting pyroptosis, and rupturing the plasma membrane through injuring-1.
Additionally, C. septicum’s -toxin causes fast inflammasome-mediated death in mice, and C. septicum-induced lethality is prevented by pharmacologically inhibiting the NLRP3 inflammasome with MCC950.
Overall, it shows that diagnosing a C. septicum infection relies on cytosolic innate sensing of the toxin, and that therapeutic inhibition of the inflammasome pathway can avert sepsis and fatalities brought on by toxin-producing organisms.
The patient with C septicum abscess has a very different clinical presentation. Symptoms are frequently absent initially or nonspecific, with variable fever, malaise, and mild, localized pain.
The most common abscess location is the iliopsoas muscle region due to an extension along retroperitoneal fascial planes from the bowel wall. Another frequent site, presumably produced by hematogenous spread, is the proximal muscles of the extremities.
Clostridium septicum can form abscesses in the spleen, as previously reported, and in the brain.
The infection can destroy the tumor tissue and form a localized and asymptomatic abscess that does not penetrate the healthy liver. These lesions may be self-limited, remain asymptomatic, or progress into fatal toxemia, depending on the degree of immunosuppression of the patient and the use of the antibiotics.
Laboratory testing, Physical manifestations, and clinical evaluations are all used to diagnose Clostridium septicum infections.
Here are a few typical techniques for diagnosis:
The diagnosis is based on findings of pain disproportionate to clinical findings or injury, marked tachycardia, discolored or edematous skin, and a gram-stain of bullous drainage showing gram-positive bacilli without spores and few leukocytes.
Blood samples are collected and cultured to identify the presence of bacteria. Clostridium septicum can be isolated from blood cultures.
Physical manifestations of infection include pain caused by infiltration of the infected muscle with edema and gas, tachycardia, muscle and skin discoloration, and a dark, watery discharge with an unpleasant odor within the wounds.
A physical examination may reveal specific findings, such as gas gangrene or signs of infection at a particular site.
The organism may produce abundant gas, making the diagnosis possible by standard X-ray films, but the gas formation is often minimal or nonexistent.
Treatment for C. septicum infection includes antibiotic administration, surgical intervention, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). In severe cases, amputation becomes the only viable option to clear the infection.
Clostridium septicum is a bacterium that belongs to the Clostridium genus and is associated with various infections in humans. It is an anaerobic, Gram-positive, spore-forming bacterium commonly found in the environment, including soil and the gastrointestinal tracts of animals.
The epidemiology of C. septicum infections includes older age, immunosuppression, malignancies, gastrointestinal diseases, and recent surgery or trauma. The presence of C. septicum in the gastrointestinal tract can be detected in some individuals without any symptoms or disease.
C. septicum infections are relatively rare but can be severe and life-threatening. The bacterium is known to cause two main types of infections: clostridial myonecrosis (also known as gas gangrene) and non-traumatic clostridial infections.
Three hundred eighty-six special episodes with clostridial blood-stream infections were identified during the study period. The crude (95% CI) incidence rate was 4.8 (4.4–5.3) per 100.000 person-years, and the age-standardized incidence rate was 4.9 (4.5–5.5). The median age was 76, and 217/386 (56%) of patients were males.
There was also a predominance for males in all age strata, with an overall crude incidence of male rates of 5.4 per 100.000 person-years vs. 4.2 for females, resulting in an IRR (95% CI) of 1.29. Incidence rates were stable over time during the six years. When the 2022 taxonomy was used, the number of unique episodes was 322, resulting in an age-standardized incidence rate of 4.1.
Certain conditions increase the risk of Clostridium septicum infections. These include malignancies, mainly gastrointestinal and hematological cancers, neutropenia, immunosuppression, trauma or surgical wounds, diabetes mellitus, and bowel pathology (e.g., colorectal cancer, diverticulitis).
A gram-positive, rod-shaped bacteria called Clostridium septicum is a natural component of human gut flora—and other animals. C. septicum are spore formers with a terminal spore that gives them their drumstick-like shape.
They are also motile bacteria that use peritrichous flagella to navigate from one environment to another. C. septicum is a fermentative anaerobe that can live off various substrates like sugars, amino acids, and other organic compounds, generating molecular hydrogen gas and carbon dioxide as by-products of cellular respiration.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Bacteria
Phylum: Bacillota
Class: Clostridia
Order: Eubacteriales
Family: Clostridiaceae
Genus: Clostridium
Species: C. septicum
Clostridium septicum is not typically classified into distinct antigenic types like some other bacteria, and it can be identified based on its phenotypic characteristics and genetic analysis.
Various techniques, such as serotyping, DNA sequencing, and biochemical testing, can differentiate strains or isolate Clostridium septicum variations.
It is a rare but potentially life-threatening pathogen that can cause various infections, including soft tissue infections, gas gangrene, and bacteremia.
One of the numerous bacteria that cause myonecrosis, sometimes known as gas gangrene, is C. septicum.
Clostridium septicum is an obligate anaerobe that can only survive and grow in environments devoid of oxygen. This bacterium thrives in deep tissue wounds with limited or absent oxygen supply.
Toxins produced by Clostridium septicum add to the toxicity of the organism. The primary toxin of this bacteria is alpha toxin, sometimes called phospholipase C. The tissue deterioration seen in Clostridium septicum infections is caused by alpha-toxin.
Clostridium septicum can invade and spread through tissues. It produces enzymes, such as collagenase and hyaluronidase, which facilitate tissue degradation and allow the bacterium to invade more deep layers.
It has developed mechanisms to evade the host immune system. It produces factors that interfere with the host’s immune response, including complement evasion and inhibition of phagocytosis.
Certain underlying conditions or factors can increase the risk of developing Clostridium septicum infections. These include malignancies (mainly gastrointestinal tumors), immunosuppression, trauma, surgery, and other conditions that compromise skin integrity or mucosal barriers.
The mammalian cytosolic inflammasome complex is activated in mice and people by a pathogen that causes sepsis and gas gangrene. We show how C. septicum’s -toxin binds to proteins that are glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored to the host plasma membrane, oligomerizes, and forms a membrane hole that allows magnesium and potassium ions to escape.
The efflux of these cytosolic ions causes the activation of the innate immune sensor NLRP3, activating caspase-1 and gastrin D, secreting interleukin-1 and interleukin-18, promoting pyroptosis, and rupturing the plasma membrane through injuring-1.
Additionally, C. septicum’s -toxin causes fast inflammasome-mediated death in mice, and C. septicum-induced lethality is prevented by pharmacologically inhibiting the NLRP3 inflammasome with MCC950.
Overall, it shows that diagnosing a C. septicum infection relies on cytosolic innate sensing of the toxin, and that therapeutic inhibition of the inflammasome pathway can avert sepsis and fatalities brought on by toxin-producing organisms.
The patient with C septicum abscess has a very different clinical presentation. Symptoms are frequently absent initially or nonspecific, with variable fever, malaise, and mild, localized pain.
The most common abscess location is the iliopsoas muscle region due to an extension along retroperitoneal fascial planes from the bowel wall. Another frequent site, presumably produced by hematogenous spread, is the proximal muscles of the extremities.
Clostridium septicum can form abscesses in the spleen, as previously reported, and in the brain.
The infection can destroy the tumor tissue and form a localized and asymptomatic abscess that does not penetrate the healthy liver. These lesions may be self-limited, remain asymptomatic, or progress into fatal toxemia, depending on the degree of immunosuppression of the patient and the use of the antibiotics.
Laboratory testing, Physical manifestations, and clinical evaluations are all used to diagnose Clostridium septicum infections.
Here are a few typical techniques for diagnosis:
The diagnosis is based on findings of pain disproportionate to clinical findings or injury, marked tachycardia, discolored or edematous skin, and a gram-stain of bullous drainage showing gram-positive bacilli without spores and few leukocytes.
Blood samples are collected and cultured to identify the presence of bacteria. Clostridium septicum can be isolated from blood cultures.
Physical manifestations of infection include pain caused by infiltration of the infected muscle with edema and gas, tachycardia, muscle and skin discoloration, and a dark, watery discharge with an unpleasant odor within the wounds.
A physical examination may reveal specific findings, such as gas gangrene or signs of infection at a particular site.
The organism may produce abundant gas, making the diagnosis possible by standard X-ray films, but the gas formation is often minimal or nonexistent.
Treatment for C. septicum infection includes antibiotic administration, surgical intervention, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). In severe cases, amputation becomes the only viable option to clear the infection.
Clostridium septicum is a bacterium that belongs to the Clostridium genus and is associated with various infections in humans. It is an anaerobic, Gram-positive, spore-forming bacterium commonly found in the environment, including soil and the gastrointestinal tracts of animals.
The epidemiology of C. septicum infections includes older age, immunosuppression, malignancies, gastrointestinal diseases, and recent surgery or trauma. The presence of C. septicum in the gastrointestinal tract can be detected in some individuals without any symptoms or disease.
C. septicum infections are relatively rare but can be severe and life-threatening. The bacterium is known to cause two main types of infections: clostridial myonecrosis (also known as gas gangrene) and non-traumatic clostridial infections.
Three hundred eighty-six special episodes with clostridial blood-stream infections were identified during the study period. The crude (95% CI) incidence rate was 4.8 (4.4–5.3) per 100.000 person-years, and the age-standardized incidence rate was 4.9 (4.5–5.5). The median age was 76, and 217/386 (56%) of patients were males.
There was also a predominance for males in all age strata, with an overall crude incidence of male rates of 5.4 per 100.000 person-years vs. 4.2 for females, resulting in an IRR (95% CI) of 1.29. Incidence rates were stable over time during the six years. When the 2022 taxonomy was used, the number of unique episodes was 322, resulting in an age-standardized incidence rate of 4.1.
Certain conditions increase the risk of Clostridium septicum infections. These include malignancies, mainly gastrointestinal and hematological cancers, neutropenia, immunosuppression, trauma or surgical wounds, diabetes mellitus, and bowel pathology (e.g., colorectal cancer, diverticulitis).
A gram-positive, rod-shaped bacteria called Clostridium septicum is a natural component of human gut flora—and other animals. C. septicum are spore formers with a terminal spore that gives them their drumstick-like shape.
They are also motile bacteria that use peritrichous flagella to navigate from one environment to another. C. septicum is a fermentative anaerobe that can live off various substrates like sugars, amino acids, and other organic compounds, generating molecular hydrogen gas and carbon dioxide as by-products of cellular respiration.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Bacteria
Phylum: Bacillota
Class: Clostridia
Order: Eubacteriales
Family: Clostridiaceae
Genus: Clostridium
Species: C. septicum
Clostridium septicum is not typically classified into distinct antigenic types like some other bacteria, and it can be identified based on its phenotypic characteristics and genetic analysis.
Various techniques, such as serotyping, DNA sequencing, and biochemical testing, can differentiate strains or isolate Clostridium septicum variations.
It is a rare but potentially life-threatening pathogen that can cause various infections, including soft tissue infections, gas gangrene, and bacteremia.
One of the numerous bacteria that cause myonecrosis, sometimes known as gas gangrene, is C. septicum.
Clostridium septicum is an obligate anaerobe that can only survive and grow in environments devoid of oxygen. This bacterium thrives in deep tissue wounds with limited or absent oxygen supply.
Toxins produced by Clostridium septicum add to the toxicity of the organism. The primary toxin of this bacteria is alpha toxin, sometimes called phospholipase C. The tissue deterioration seen in Clostridium septicum infections is caused by alpha-toxin.
Clostridium septicum can invade and spread through tissues. It produces enzymes, such as collagenase and hyaluronidase, which facilitate tissue degradation and allow the bacterium to invade more deep layers.
It has developed mechanisms to evade the host immune system. It produces factors that interfere with the host’s immune response, including complement evasion and inhibition of phagocytosis.
Certain underlying conditions or factors can increase the risk of developing Clostridium septicum infections. These include malignancies (mainly gastrointestinal tumors), immunosuppression, trauma, surgery, and other conditions that compromise skin integrity or mucosal barriers.
The mammalian cytosolic inflammasome complex is activated in mice and people by a pathogen that causes sepsis and gas gangrene. We show how C. septicum’s -toxin binds to proteins that are glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored to the host plasma membrane, oligomerizes, and forms a membrane hole that allows magnesium and potassium ions to escape.
The efflux of these cytosolic ions causes the activation of the innate immune sensor NLRP3, activating caspase-1 and gastrin D, secreting interleukin-1 and interleukin-18, promoting pyroptosis, and rupturing the plasma membrane through injuring-1.
Additionally, C. septicum’s -toxin causes fast inflammasome-mediated death in mice, and C. septicum-induced lethality is prevented by pharmacologically inhibiting the NLRP3 inflammasome with MCC950.
Overall, it shows that diagnosing a C. septicum infection relies on cytosolic innate sensing of the toxin, and that therapeutic inhibition of the inflammasome pathway can avert sepsis and fatalities brought on by toxin-producing organisms.
The patient with C septicum abscess has a very different clinical presentation. Symptoms are frequently absent initially or nonspecific, with variable fever, malaise, and mild, localized pain.
The most common abscess location is the iliopsoas muscle region due to an extension along retroperitoneal fascial planes from the bowel wall. Another frequent site, presumably produced by hematogenous spread, is the proximal muscles of the extremities.
Clostridium septicum can form abscesses in the spleen, as previously reported, and in the brain.
The infection can destroy the tumor tissue and form a localized and asymptomatic abscess that does not penetrate the healthy liver. These lesions may be self-limited, remain asymptomatic, or progress into fatal toxemia, depending on the degree of immunosuppression of the patient and the use of the antibiotics.
Laboratory testing, Physical manifestations, and clinical evaluations are all used to diagnose Clostridium septicum infections.
Here are a few typical techniques for diagnosis:
The diagnosis is based on findings of pain disproportionate to clinical findings or injury, marked tachycardia, discolored or edematous skin, and a gram-stain of bullous drainage showing gram-positive bacilli without spores and few leukocytes.
Blood samples are collected and cultured to identify the presence of bacteria. Clostridium septicum can be isolated from blood cultures.
Physical manifestations of infection include pain caused by infiltration of the infected muscle with edema and gas, tachycardia, muscle and skin discoloration, and a dark, watery discharge with an unpleasant odor within the wounds.
A physical examination may reveal specific findings, such as gas gangrene or signs of infection at a particular site.
The organism may produce abundant gas, making the diagnosis possible by standard X-ray films, but the gas formation is often minimal or nonexistent.
Treatment for C. septicum infection includes antibiotic administration, surgical intervention, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). In severe cases, amputation becomes the only viable option to clear the infection.
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