Pseudomembraneous clostridium after autologous bone marrow transplantation

Bone Marrow Transplant. 1998 Mar;21(5):521-3. doi: 10.1038/sj.bmt.1701117.

Abstract

Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) pseudomembraneous colitis was diagnosed in a 13-year-old boy with Hodgkin's disease 3 months after autologous bone marrow transplantation. Hematopoiesis was fully reconstituted at the time. C. difficile infection occurred after gall bladder empyema had been treated conservatively with i.v. antibiotics and prophylactic 4-week administration of oral amoxicillin. C. difficile colitis was diagnosed early and intensive supportive therapy combined with administration of i.v. and subsequently oral vancomycin therapy failed. It is a phenomenon rarely seen and successful eradication of the clostridium infection was only achieved by a combination of higher dose vancomycin with metronidazole. During the post-colitis recovery the patient experienced a relapse of Hodgkin's disease and died following further surgical intervention 137 days post-transplantation.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / therapeutic use
  • Antitrichomonal Agents / therapeutic use
  • Bone Marrow Transplantation / adverse effects*
  • Clostridioides difficile
  • Enterocolitis, Pseudomembranous / drug therapy
  • Enterocolitis, Pseudomembranous / etiology*
  • Hematopoiesis
  • Hodgkin Disease / complications
  • Hodgkin Disease / therapy
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Metronidazole / therapeutic use
  • Transplantation, Autologous
  • Vancomycin / therapeutic use

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Antitrichomonal Agents
  • Metronidazole
  • Vancomycin