Clostridium baratii: a rare case of pneumonia associated with an Alzheimer patient in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

INTRODUCTION

Clostridium baratii is rarely associated with human diseases. Infection is usuallcaused by ingestion of contaminated food, and infant botulism is the most common clinical presentation.

CASE REPORT: Here we report a case of pneumonia by a non-toxigenic strain of C. baratii in an Alzheimer 70-year-old male with sepsis in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The micro-organism was identified by phenotypical tests, mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF), DNA amplification (PCR) and sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. Testing for the presence of botulinum F toxin was made using multiplex PCR. Bioassay for a large number of colonies was performed in mice to evaluate the production of any lethal toxin, but the results were negative.

CONCLUSION

To our knowledge, there are no cases of C. baratii infection reported in Brazil and we highlight the importance of anaerobic lab tests in the standard routine of diagnosis.