Paraneoplastic Clostridium septicum Infection of a Total Knee Arthroplasty

• Published in: The Journal of arthroplasty Vol. 26; no. 4; pp. 666.e9 - 666.e11
• Main Authors: Burnell, Colin D.C., BSc, MD, FRCSC, Turgeon, Thomas R., BSc, MD, MPH, FRCSC, Hedden, David R., MD, FRCSC, Bohm, Eric R., B Eng, MD, MSc, FRCSC
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.06.2011
• Subjects: Adenocarcinoma - complications; Adenocarcinoma - diagnostic imaging; Adenocarcinoma - therapy; Aged, 80 and over; Anti-Bacterial Agents - therapeutic use; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee - instrumentation; Clostridium Infections - diagnosis; Clostridium Infections - drug therapy; Clostridium Infections - etiology; Clostridium septicum; Clostridium septicum - isolation & purification; Colonic Neoplasms - complications; Colonic Neoplasms - diagnostic imaging; Colonic Neoplasms - therapy; Combined Modality Therapy; Fatal Outcome; Female; Humans; infection; Knee Prosthesis - microbiology; malignancy; Orthopedics; Osteoarthritis, Knee - surgery; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; total knee arthroplasty; total knee arthroplasty; Clostridium septicum; infection; malignancy

Abstract We describe a case of a well-functioning total knee arthroplasty acutely infected with Clostridium septicum . This is the first reported infection of a prosthetic joint with this organism. A search for the source of this infection uncovered a colonic malignancy. This organism is highly asso...