Vibrio vulnificus infection

Park, Seok Don

Abstract

Vibrio vulntficus is a halophilic, gram-negative, motile, marine rod tha is capable of causing rapidly progressing, life-threatening infection in human. The illnesses associated with this organism can be categorized clinically as four groups such as wound infection, primary sept cemia, gastrointestinal illness, and other infection. The clinica1 manifestation of patients with primarys pticemia can vary from fever and chills alone to a more severe illness including secondary skin lesions, multisystem organ failure and shock. Several skin lesions are found in patients with this septicemia, including edema, blister, gangrene, localized swelling, and papura and, less comrnonly, cyanosis, maule and patch, papule, wheal, and pustule. The cutaneous lesions appear mostly on the legs. The hist pathologic findings differ according to the clinieal stage(inflammatory, bullous, and gangrenous) of the lesions. Mortality is very high. The organism is isolated mostly from skin lesion and/or blood. Vibrio vulnifices is sensitive to chloramphenicol, gentamicin, tubramycin, tetracycline, and 3rd generation cephalosporins. Most cases occur during the summer montlis, in men and in person 40 or more year of age. The illness begin with septicemia, often within 2 days of the consumption of various kinds of raw seafood such as fish, shell- fish, and brown seaweed. Patierts frequently have preexisting liver diseae and/or alcohol abuse. For prevention of Vibrio vulni ficus infections, persons with liver diseases or alcohol abuse should avoid consuming or handling raw seafood. Clinicians should start appropriate therapy promptly in patients with chronic underlying disease and a recent history of raw seafood con umption who present with unexplained febrile illness.