Acute purulent pericarditis caused by Clostridium septicum

We describe the case of a 71-year-old man suffering from liver cirrhosis with an acute purulent pericarditis. The organism responsible for his pericarditis was Clostridium septicum; a Gram-positive obligatory pathogen, commonly associated with gastrointestinal tumours. Despite the prolonged, targeted antibiotic therapy, the infection resulted in endocarditis and the need for an urgent the aortic valve replacement.