A Patient With Multiorgan Failure and Fusiform Rod-Shaped Bacteria in the Blood Smear

A 65-year-old man without a significant medical history presented to the emergency department with abdominal pain and diarrhea. He did not use any relevant medication. At physical examination, he was somnolent and hemodynamically unstable with a high fever. His peripheral circulation was poor with significant marbling of both legs, his abdomen was diffusely painful on palpation, his left leg had a necrotizing wound without an additional abscess or cellulitis (Figure 1), and he had scratches on both hands. The rest of his physical examination findings were unremarkable.