Clostridium hastiforme bacteraemia secondary to pyometra in a 64-year-old woman

The Gram-negative, rod-shaped, anaerobe bacteria Tissierella praeacuta was first described in 1908 by Tissier. However, during the past decade, Clostridium hastiforme has been recognised as a later synonym of T. praeacuta. C. hastiforme/T. praeacuta has only rarely been described in previous literature as a cause of human infection. We present here a case report of C. hastiforme/T. praeacuta bacteraemia secondary to pyometra in a 64-year-old woman with a history of multiple sclerosis and an intrauterine device inserted three decades earlier. C. hastiforme/T. praeacuta was isolated from blood as well as pus from the site of infection. The patient was cured with a combination of drainage and antibiotic therapy.