Clinical Gastroenterology Journal

Fulminant Clostridium difficile Enteritis: A Fatal and Rare Cause of Severe Terminal Ileitis with Impending Small Bowel Perforation

Abstract

Cheung SW, Tong YH, Chun L, Chang J

Clostridium difficile infection in small bowel is a rare clinical condition which is more common in pre-existing gastrointestinal pathologies such as inflammatory bowel disease, prior colectomy or ileostomy and systemic illnesses causing immuno-compromised status. We present a fulminant case of Clostridium difficile enteritis which was preceded by an episode of Salmonella gastroenteritis in an otherwise healthy individual. It is complicated by severe terminal ileitis and multi-organ failure with subsequent laparotomy and small bowel resection finding a near perforation over the diseased segment of the ileum. The clinical characteristics and the importance of this unusual but potentially fatal infection would be discussed.