Characteristics of Clostridium Sordellii

Clostridium sordellii is a rare bacterium that usually resides in soil. It sometimes invades and infects the digestive or genital tract of humans and causes a variety of health problems. Arthritis, endocarditis and pneumonia are possible complications associated with Clostridium sordellii, as is toxic shock syndrome, which has a high fatality rate. The bacterium usually infects only people with underlying infections and diseases, and pregnant women and those who have recently given birth are especially at risk.

Symptoms

• Symptoms of an Clostridium sordellii infection include nausea, diarrhea, vomiting and severe abdominal pain without fever. These symptoms usually occur following an operation, live birth or abortion, when the bacteria colonize the human body.

Complications

• Clostridium sordellii is associated with toxic shock syndrome, a condition in which the body becomes acutely ill in the presence of foreign substances. The onset of toxic shock syndrome is sudden. Symptoms include low-grade fever, rapid heart rate, high blood pressure, spreading edemas, and loss of blood plasma, leading to an increased concentration of cells and solids in the blood, or hemoconcentration.

Transmission

• Clostridium sordellii enters the human body during medical operations, childbirth and abortions, but it has not been determined how the bacterium enters and survives in a hospital setting. A study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology in July 2009 by Christine S. Ho MD MPH found that Clostridium sordellii is associated with undiagnosed gynecologic illnesses among women of childbearing age.

Susceptible Populations

• Women who are pregnant or have recently had a child or an abortion are at the highest risk of infection by Clostridium sordellii, although sometimes women carry the bacterium and do not become infected. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), vaginal infections of Clostridium sordellii are actually fairly common after childbirth or an abortion, but they seldom result in serious illness. Up to 10 percent of non-pregnant women have been found to carry the bacterium in their vaginas, according to the CDC.