Clostridial pleuropulmonary infections: case report and review of the literature.

Clostridia rarely cause pleuropulmonary infections in the absence of trauma. We report a case of intermittent bowel obstruction, clostridial bacteraemia and pneumonia with a fatal outcome. Only 16 cases have previously been reported. Clostridial infection of the lung has many features of an acute pneumonia and is almost always associated with a pleural effusion. Most cases are caused by Clostridium perfringens, though infections with other species have been reported. The prognosis is generally more favourable than in clostridial infection secondary to aspiration pneumonia or complicating empyema.