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CASE REPORT article

Front. Med., 03 December 2025

Sec. Infectious Diseases: Pathogenesis and Therapy

Volume 12 - 2025 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2025.1702526

A rare case of Clostridium paraputrificum bloodstream infection in a patient with intestinal necrosis: case report and literature review

  • 1. Department of Clinical Laboratory, People′s Hospital of Deyang City, Deyang, Sichuan, China

  • 2. Pathogenic Microbiology and Clinical Immunology Key Laboratory of Deyang City, Deyang People's Hospital, Deyang, Sichuan, China

  • 3. Department of Clinical Laboratory, Yongchuan People′s Hospital of Chongqing, Chongqing, China

  • 4. Department of Blood Transfusion, People′s Hospital of Deyang City, Deyang, Sichuan, China

  • 5. Department of Pancreatitis Treatment Center, People′s Hospital of Deyang City, Deyang, Sichuan, China

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Abstract

Bloodstream infections caused by anaerobic bacteria present a serious threat to patients. Rapid and accurate diagnosis is crucial for treatment and patient prognosis. Herein, we report a rare case of Clostridium paraputrificum bacteremia in an 82-year-old woman who developed an infection after undergoing necrotic small bowel resection. The patient was treated with 5-day anti-infective therapy with meropenem and linezolid, successfully controlling the disease. We also constructed a phylogenetic tree with other similar bacteria using gene sequencing and showed the virulence and antimicrobial resistance of C. paraputrificum. Additionally, the clinical features and antibiotic treatment of this case were reviewed and discussed in the existing literature. This case and review illustrate the insidious nature of C. paraputrificum infections, emphasizing the need for greater clinician awareness and improved diagnostic and treatment strategies.

1 Introduction

Bacteria can be classified according to their oxygen requirements into aerobes, anaerobes, and facultative anaerobes (1). Anaerobes are bacteria that thrive better under anaerobic conditions than in aerobic environments (2). Clostridium species are Gram-positive anaerobic bacilli, including 210 species and 5 subspecies. Clinically significant Clostridia species include C. tetani, C. perfringens, C. botulinum, and Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) (3). Anaerobic bacteremia is a serious threat to the life and health of patients, with a mortality rate as high as 63% (4). If the mucosal barrier is compromised, it can enter the bloodstream and develop severe and potentially harmful infectious diseases. C. paraputrificum infections have now been reported in only 1% of all cases of Clostridium infections, and their clinical significance has not been fully described (5). Herein, we report an 82-year-old woman who developed C. paraputrificum bacteremia after undergoing a necrotizing small bowel resection for intestinal obstruction with necrosis. Timely antibiotic treatment effectively controlled the infection, gradually stabilizing the patient’s condition. This is likely the first reported case of bloodstream infection caused by C. paraputrificum in China.

2 Case presentation

An 82-year-old woman with a history of appendectomy was urgently admitted due to intermittent abdominal colic. On admission, vital signs were as follows: temperature, 36.5 °C; pulse, 84 beats/min; respiratory rate, 22 breaths/min; and blood pressure, 173/84 mmHg. Blood tests were unremarkable. Examination showed diffuse abdominal pain with pronounced rebound tenderness. CT indicated intra-abdominal hernia, intestinal ischemia, and obstruction in the right middle and lower abdomen, leading to the diagnosis of intestinal obstruction with necrosis. The following day, the patient underwent resection of the necrotic small intestine under general anesthesia.

Five days postoperatively, the patient developed chills that persisted for approximately 2 h, with her body temperature reaching 37.5 °C and peaking in the evening. A blood culture was performed immediately, and a repeat computed tomography scan revealed discontinuity in the anastomotic wall, accompanied by localized peritoneal fluid collection, confirming an anastomotic fistula. Given the persistent symptoms and radiological findings, she underwent a second laparotomy, during which the necrotic segment of the small bowel adjacent to the previous anastomosis was resected, and an ileal single-lumen fistula was created to divert intestinal contents.

Three days after the second laparotomy, both anaerobic bottles of two sets of blood cultures turned positive. Gram staining showed Gram-positive rods (Figure 1a). Subculture on blood agar at 35 °C yielded no growth aerobically, but anaerobic incubation for 48 h produced grayish-white, irregular colonies with scalloped edges (Figure 1b). Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (Bruker LVD MALDI Biotyper) identified the bacterium as C. paraputrificum (score 2.07) (Figure 1c), with confirmation via whole-genome sequencing (Illumina, Inc., USA, Illumina NovaSeq 6,000) and 16S rRNA analysis (NCBI). Genomic analysis included phylogenetic tree construction using a custom R script, along with analysis of virulence-associated genes using the Virulence Factor Database (VFDB) (6) and identification of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes through the Comprehensive Antibiotic Resistance Database (CARD) and MEGARes database (7, 8). This integrated approach revealed multiple genes associated with both virulence and AMR (Figure 2; Table 1).

Figure 1

(a) Microscopic view of bacteria stained in purple against a light background with blue arrows pointing to specific structures. (b) Red agar plate with bacterial colonies spread across its surface. (c) Mass spectrometry graph showing intensity versus mass-to-charge ratio, with peaks labeled 3417.095, 4363.117, 5476.926, 6832.638, and 7360.768.

(a) Gram stain of a blood culture showing gram-positive rods (×100). Arrows show the bacteria under the microscope. (b) Colonies were seen on a blood agar plate after a 2-day anaerobic conditions culture transferred from the positive blood culture bottles (an anaerobic environment of 35 °C). (c) Matrix-assisted laser desorption and ionization time-of-flight mass spectra from the cultured colony.

Figure 2

Phylogenetic tree depicting relationships among various Clostridium species and one Sarcina specimen used as an outgroup. Nodes display bootstrap values in red, indicating the tree's statistical support. Highlighted in red, Clostridium paraputrificum includes isolated strains. Other species are labeled with accession numbers, illustrating genetic sequence comparisons.

Phylogenetic analysis of Clostridium species based on 16S rRNA gene sequences. The neighbor-joining tree was constructed using the Kimura 2-parameter model and rooted with Sarcina ventriculi as the outgroup. Bootstrap values from 100 replicates are shown as decimal numbers at the nodes. Scale bar represents the number of nucleotide substitutions per site.

Table 1

Sequence Start End Strand Gene Database Accession
CP373A1_19 157,965 158,773 – hasB VFDB WP_009880737.1
CP373A1_19 162,461 163,443 – cps4J VFDB WP_000077424.1
CP373A1_26 352,996 353,396 – clpP VFDB NP_465991
CP373A1_32 171,576 173,134 – clpC VFDB NP_463763
CP373A1_28 77,979 78,481 – efrB CARD/MEGARes WP_002289400.1
CP373A1_32 91,351 91,855 – efrB CARD/MEGARes WP_002289400.1
CP373A1_28 79,694 80,522 – efrA MEGARes WP_104671188.1

Virulence analysis and antimicrobial resistance analysis of Clostridium paraputrificum.

Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed based on the identified pathogen to guide targeted therapy. The Anaerobe ID&AST Test Card (Mindray Bio-Medical, China) showed C. paraputrificum was sensitive to ampicillin/sulbactam, piperacillin/tazobactam, cefoxitin, meropenem, metronidazole, chloromycetin, and vancomycin, but resistant to tetracycline and clindamycin. The patient was treated with meropenem (1 g every 8 h) and linezolid (0.6 g every 12 h). After 5 days of antibiotic treatment, the inflammatory markers—C-reactive protein (CRP) and procalcitonin (PCT)—returned to normal levels, indicating that the infection was under control (Figure 3). The patient was then transferred to a specialized department for further treatment and was discharged after 10 days when her condition stabilized.

Figure 3

Graph a shows the fluctuation of WBC count over 16 hospital days, with a peak around day 8. Graph b displays PCT levels which spike on day 8, then quickly decline. Both graphs use an orange line to indicate measurements over time.

CRP and PCT in the blood throughout the treatment duration.

3 Literature review and discussion

Anaerobic bacterial infections are diverse and common in abdominal, pelvic, complex skin, soft tissue, and bloodstream infections (2). In cases of intestinal necrosis or postintestinal resection, the anaerobic bacteria can translocate through damaged intestinal mucosa, with C. paraputrificum being particularly rare in such contexts. These infections usually involve mixed aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, where aerobes reduce environmental oxygen to facilitate anaerobe growth. Anaerobic cultures require specialized environments, and traditional identification methods are complex and time-consuming, making rare species such as C. paraputrificum easily overlooked (9). Additionally, anaerobes have complex genetic structures and act as potential reservoirs of AMR genes from other species (10).

Clostridium is a gram-positive, anaerobic or microaerophilic, coarse bacillus, causing diseases such as tetanus and gas gangrene (11). Clostridium bacteremia has a mortality rate of 29–35% (12). C. paraputrificum is rare, accounting for only 1% of reported Clostridium infections, and is even less frequently associated with intestinal necrosis or postabdominal surgery bloodstream infections compared to other Clostridium species.

To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of C. paraputrificum bloodstream infection in China, highlighting the infection′s complexity and insidious nature. Babenco et al. first reported a C. paraputrificum bacteremia case in 1976 involving an elderly man with myeloproliferative disease and necrotizing colon cancer who died from an infected aneurysm (13). Our review of 12 cases (Table 2) shows that these infections are linked to patient-specific factors, including advanced age (5, 13, 14), HIV infection (15, 16), digestive tract malignancies (13, 17), and gastrointestinal disorders (14, 18). These risk factors increase the likelihood of C. paraputrificum bloodstream infections by weakening immune function, enhancing inflammatory responses, or impairing mucosal barrier function. Impaired immune function leads to defective defense mechanisms, making it easier for pathogens to multiply and harder to clear, thereby significantly increasing the risk of bloodstream infections. Similarly, inflammatory mediators released by inflammatory responses will damage the vascular endothelium throughout the body and facilitate the invasion of pathogens. Age is also a significant risk factor. With aging, intestinal epithelial tight junction proteins may undergo remodeling, leading to increased colonic permeability. Increased intestinal permeability will make it easier for bacteria to pass through the intestinal wall and enter the bloodstream, causing bloodstream infections.

Table 2

Year Age Sex Source of infection Underlying disease Treatment Outcome Ref
1976 88 Male Necrotic colonic carcinoma Polycythemia vera, adenocarcinoma in the colon / Died (28)
1980 10 Female / Sickle cell disease Penicillin Cured (29)
1982 65 Male Aspiration Pneumonia Hepatic disease Penicillin Cured (30)
1988 32 Female Necrotizing enterocolitis Chronic non-cyclic neutropenia Ampicillin Cured (31)
1996 32 Male Obstructive duodenal AIDS, Kaposi’s sarcoma Metronidazole Died (16)
2015 65 Male Colonic necrosis AIDS Vancomycin, Piperacillin/Tazobactam, Metronidazole Cured (15)
2017 88 Male / Hypertension, pyogenic spondylitis Ampicillin/Sulbactam Cured (5)
2018 23 Female Pyogenic liver abscesses Hepatic adenoma Vancomycin, Levofloxacin, Metronidazole Cured (32)
2020 78 Male Colon neoplasm Intestinal carcinoma, liver neoplastic Metronidazole Cured (17)
2021 74 Male Pseudomembranous colitis Hypertension, iron deficiency, anemia Vancomycin,
Meropenem, Metronidazole
Died (33)
2023 77 Male Colonic pseudo-obstruction Prostate cancer, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, hyperuricemia, Ampicillin/Sulbactam Cured (18)
2023 59 Male / AIDS, HCV, HBV, diabetes, and hypertension Meropenem, Vancomycin Died (34)

Summary of the reported cases of Clostridium paraputrificum bloodstream infection.

3.1 Gene of virulence and AMR

We analyzed the genome sequence of C. paraputrificum and identified several virulence and antibiotic resistance-related genes using the VFDB, CARD, and MEGARes databases. According to the VFDB, C. paraputrificum activates the virulence genes hasB, cps4J, clpP, and clpC. AMR analysis using CARD and MEGARes indicated the presence of efrA and efrB in C. paraputrificum. These genes are associated with bacterial virulence, stress response, and antibiotic resistance. The hasB is essential for hyaluronic acid capsule synthesis and contributes to virulence by facilitating immune evasion (19). The cps4J gene participates in capsular polysaccharide synthesis and immune modulation, thereby enhancing bacterial virulence and immune evasion (20). ClpP and ClpC function together as a proteolytic complex (ClpCP) that maintains protein homeostasis and regulates bacterial stress tolerance and virulence, making them important contributors to pathogenicity (21, 22). EfrAB is an ATP-dependent multidrug efflux pump that exports various antimicrobial agents, particularly fluoroquinolone antibiotics, thereby lowering their intracellular concentration and contributing to multidrug resistance (23, 24). Additionally, studies have shown that antibiotic-resistance genes in human intestinal bacteria can be exchanged within the microbiota and transferred to other bacteria (18). Such bacteria may serve as a potential reservoir for antibiotic resistance genes in other species.

3.2 Drug choice

Selecting antibiotics for anaerobic bacteria presents significant challenges. Research indicates that anaerobic infections are predominantly mixed infections (25). Therefore, it is crucial to remain vigilant with high-risk patients to avoid misdiagnosis. Moreover, increasing evidence shows that anaerobic bacteria are developing resistance to antibiotics, including high-grade options such as imipenem, piperacillin-tazobactam, ampicillin-sulbactam, and metronidazole (26). Suboptimal antibiotic treatment may select resistant bacteria and even induce shifts in resistance determinants. C. paraputrificum is rarely isolated clinically, and research on its antibiotic sensitivity is extremely limited. Therefore, selecting the appropriate antibiotic for patients diagnosed with C. paraputrificum infection is a major challenge. Inappropriate antibiotic use can lead to the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria and increase patient mortality (27). We reviewed all available literature on C. paraputrificum infections (Table 2). Empirical treatment should consider antibiotics such as vancomycin, metronidazole, and imipenem, either alone or in combination. Given the reported resistance to clindamycin, erythromycin, tetracycline, and penicillin, these should not be used as empirical treatments.

4 Conclusion

In conclusion, this case reports a C. paraputrificum bloodstream infection following necrotic small bowel resection, confirmed via anaerobic blood culture and mass spectrometry. Notably, the infection exhibits an insidious clinical profile, characterized by mild fever despite markedly elevated inflammatory markers, underscoring the need for vigilant monitoring of high-risk populations such as postintestinal necrosis patients and timely blood culture testing. Furthermore, genome sequencing clarified the isolate′s phylogenetic position and identified critical virulence and AMR genes, offering insights into its pathogenic mechanisms. Finally, both in vitro susceptibility data and literature evidence support vancomycin, metronidazole, or imipenem as monotherapy or in combination for effectively managing C. paraputrificum bloodstream infections.

Statements

Data availability statement

The datasets presented in this study can be found in online repositories. The names of the repository/repositories and accession number(s) can be found in the article/supplementary material.

Ethics statement

The studies involving humans were approved by the Medical Ethics Committee at the People’s Hospital of Deyang City. The studies were conducted in accordance with the local legislation and institutional requirements. Written informed consent for participation was not required from the participants or the participants’ legal guardians/next of kin in accordance with the national legislation and institutional requirements. Written informed consent was obtained from the individual(s) for the publication of any potentially identifiable images or data included in this article.

Author contributions

CJ: Methodology, Writing – original draft. KW: Software, Writing – original draft. ZC: Methodology, Writing – review & editing. EJ: Methodology, Writing – original draft. YJ: Data curation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. ZH: Methodology, Software, Writing – review & editing. WH: Resources, Writing – review & editing.

Funding

The author(s) declare that financial support was received for the research and/or publication of this article. This study was supported by the Sichuan Provincial Science and Technology Department (2025ZNSFSC1561) and the Deyang Science and Technology Bureau (2024SZY001).

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted without any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Generative AI statement

The authors declare that no Gen AI was used in the creation of this manuscript.

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Correction note

A correction has been made to this article. Details can be found at: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1761583.

Publisher’s note

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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Summary

Keywords

Clostridium paraputrificum , anaerobic bloodstream infections, necroticsmall bowel resection, case report, whole-genome sequencing, literature review

Citation

Ji C, Wang K, Chen Z, Jianfei E, Jiang Y, Huang Z and Huang W (2025) A rare case of Clostridium paraputrificum bloodstream infection in a patient with intestinal necrosis: case report and literature review. Front. Med. 12:1702526. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1702526

Received

10 September 2025

Revised

10 November 2025

Accepted

14 November 2025

Published

03 December 2025

Corrected

06 January 2026

Volume

12 - 2025

Edited by

Shisan (Bob) Bao, The University of Sydney, Australia

Reviewed by

Keiji Nagano, Health Sciences University of Hokkaido, Japan

Yingmiao Zhang, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China

Updates

Copyright

*Correspondence: Yayun Jiang, Ziqian Huang, Wei Huang,

†These authors have contributed equally to this work

Disclaimer

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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