NYT - Deaths After Abortion Pill to Be Studied by Officials

...conva(lumin)escence.
By underbunny.

Gardiner Harris of NYT:

• Ms. Patterson died [on Sept. 17, 2003] seven days after taking Mifeprex. She lived in Livermore, Calif.


• On Dec. 29, 2003, Vivian Tran, 22, of Costa Mesa, Calif., died six days after taking Mifeprex.


• On Jan. 14, 2004, Chanelle Bryant, 22, of Pasadena, Calif., died six days after taking Mifeprex.


• And on May 24, 2005, Oriane Shevin, 34, of Los Angeles died five days after taking Mifeprex.

In each case, Clostridium sordellii infected the women's uteruses, flourished and then entered their bloodstreams. The bacterium can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and weakness but may not induce fever ... antibiotics [treatments after the onset of infection] are often ineffective ...

No similar deaths have been reported in Europe, where Mifeprex is widely used. But in the United States, most physicians give Mifeprex and an accompanying drug, misoprostol, in a regimen that involves inserting misoprostol vaginally.

Combing through the stacks of UM's Taubman Library Google Book Search on Clostridium sordelli reveals:

• Postpartum episiotomy infection beneath the deep facsia leads to myonecrosis. Clostridium perfringens accounts for most cases, but Clostridium sordelli has also been implicated. These cases were unique in presenting with "massive malignant vulvar edema thought to be caused by toxin production and results in death from cardiovascular collapse" (Clinical Maternal-Fetal Medicine by Hung N Winn, John C Hobbins)


• Clostridium sordelli has also been reported in pleuropulmonary infections after penetrating chest trauma. Of the 39 cases of such infections due Clostridium reported from 1935 to 1993, 2 cases (5%) were attributed to Clostridium sordelli. (Community-Acquired Pneumonia by Thomas J Marrie)


• It has been implicated in neonatal omphalitis (infection of the umbilical stump) in deliveries outside traditional medical facilities and in cultures where cow dung is applied to the umbilical stump postpartum. (The 5-minute Pediatric Consult, Edited by M. William Schwartz)

Interestingly, antiserum to Clostridium sordelli cross-reacts and neutralizes Clostridum difficile cytotoxin (a.k.a. Toxin B) in tissue culture. This forms a component of the laboratory diagnosis of intestinal C. diff overgrowth in patients on antibiotics. (Notes on Medical Microbiology by Yifan Douglas Yang, Morag C Timbury, A Christine McCartney, Bishan Thakker)

That little literature search was completed within 20 minutes. Unlike regular Googling, the reliability of these sources are not in doubt. The importance of Google Book Search in Science 2.0 cannot be denied.

FYI this was on my search results page



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medicine Science 2.0 Google Book Search Microbiology Abortion Mifeprex Clostridium sordelli