# An Autopsy Case of Fulminant Systemic Infection of Clostridium perfringens With a Diverse Role of Toxins in a Healthy Patient

## TL;DR

A healthy man died from a severe Clostridium perfringens infection, highlighting the rapid and deadly nature of this bacterial disease.

## Contribution

This case emphasizes the importance of considering C. perfringens in diagnosing severe infections in healthy individuals.

## Key findings

- The patient had a liver abscess with C. perfringens identified in blood cultures.
- Loss of tight junctions in the ileum suggests toxin involvement in systemic spread.
- The case underscores the need for early recognition of C. perfringens in fulminant infections.

## Abstract

We herein report an autopsy case of a fulminant Clostridium perfringens (C. perfringens or Welch bacilli) infection in a healthy adult. A 72-year-old, immunocompetent man visited the emergency department with lower back pain, and blood test revealed hemolytic attack. His condition rapidly worsened with severe acidosis and anemia, and he died despite symptomatic treatment. An autopsy examination demonstrated an abscess with necrosis and air spaces in the right lobe of his liver. Numerous Gram-positive bacilli were seen in the liver and bone marrow, and C. perfringens was identified in culture of the antemortem blood sample. Of note, a mucosal epithelium of the ileum showed loss of tight junctions (claudin 4), suggesting the involvement of C. perfringens toxins with its systemic spreading. Welch toxins were suggested to be involved in serious pathological conditions such as hemolytic anemia and systemic infections, and it is necessary to raise Welch infection as one of the differential diagnoses for fulminant systemic infections even in healthy individuals.