La Revue de médecine interne
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Clostridium difficile is an anaerobic gram positive, spore-forming bacterium which is responsible for 15-25% of antibiotic-associated diarrhea and for more than 95% of pseudomembranous colitis (PMC). This paper will review the main knowledge on C. difficile-associated infections and their recent evolution. ⋯ A systematic reporting of C. difficile incidence by health facilities should enable a better assessment of this pathology in France.
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Typhlitis is a rare condition, characterized by necrotizing inflammation of the colon. It occurs mainly in neutropenic patients receiving chemotherapy for leukemia. ⋯ The pathological mechanisms of typhlitis remain unclear in neutropenic patients. The role of cytotoxic drugs as well as both bacterial overgrowth and translocation has been postulated. In our patient, asymptomatic reactivation of cytomegalovirus infection may have increased chemotherapeutic-agents-digestive toxicity.