Who gets C. sordellii Toxic Shock Syndrome?
Women are at highest risk of infection from C. sordellii following a live birth, spontaneous, medical, or surgical abortion. Of the 10 cases described in the literature prior to the recent U.S. cases associated with medical abortion, eight occurred following delivery of live-born infants, one occurred following a medical abortion, and one was not associated with pregnancy. The rate of vaginal colonization (when bacteria are present, but not causing an infection) with Clostridium species in the period after abortion has been reported to be as high as 29%, whereas these bacteria have been isolated in the vaginal secretions of 5%-10% of non-pregnant women.
