Chromobacterium violaceum septicaemia in a dog

Septicemia in a neonatal calf associated with Chromobacterium violaceum

Chromobacterium violaceum infections are highly fatal and rarely reported in domestic animals. This report describes a fatal case of C. violaceum septicemia in a 7-day-old female beef calf. The calf had necrosuppurative omphalophlebitis, necrotizing interstitial pneumonia, necrosuppurative hepatitis and splenitis, anterior uveitis with hypopyon, suppurative polyarthritis, and disseminated hemorrhagic meningitis with multifocal necrotizing encephalitis. Histologically, clusters of gram-negative bacilli were found in many of the lesions. C. violaceum was isolated in high numbers from the lungs, liver, spleen, carpus, and in pure culture from the cerebrospinal fluid. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of chromobacteriosis in a calf.

Chromobacterium violaceum infection in two dogs

Chromobacterium violaceum is a saprophyte of soil and water in tropical and subtropical environments that is associated with rare but highly fatal infections in animals and humans. Systemic infection was diagnosed in two critically ill dogs from Florida. Fever was absent in both dogs. Both dogs were treated surgically and provided with intensive care, but only one survived. The identification of characteristic, violet-pigmented bacterial colonies on routine microbial cultures should alert microbiologists and clinicians to the likelihood of this dangerous pathogen. Because of the rapidly progressive nature of this infection, empirical antibiotic administration with fluoroquinolones should be employed pending susceptibility testing.

[Chromobacteriosis in Ilhéus, Bahia: epidemiologic, clinical and laboratorial investigation]

In April/2004, a group of people traveled to a farm in a town in the south of Bahia and afterwards, three teenagers from the same family developed symptoms of severe septicemia and two died. The Health Department carried out an epidemiologic, clinical, laboratory and environmental investigation that resulted in the identification of Chromobacterium violaceum, in biological material from one of them, water and soil. This is the first report of the disease in Bahia State.

Expression and partial characterization of an elastase from Chromobacterium violaceum

Chromobacterium violaceum was recovered at necropsy from the lungs, liver, spleen, and an interscapular abscess of a Chinese red panda (strain 98-9187) [J. Vet. Diagn. Invest. 12 (2000) 177]. As the lungs exhibited extensive, necrotizing lesions harboring bacterial aggregates, we sought to determine whether C. violaceum produced an elastase that might in part account for these lesions. The C. violaceum type strain (ATCC 12472(T)) and strain 98-9187 were shown to exhibit elastolytic activity by elastin Congo red and elastin nutrient agar assays. The activity was isolated from the periplasmic fraction and was present throughout the growth cycle. Activity increased markedly in late logarithmic phase growth. In elastin-limiting medium, activity rapidly decreased in early stationary phase indicating a tight regulation of yield. The activity was optimal at neutral pH and was sensitive to the metalloproteinase inhibitors EDTA and 1,10-phenanthroline. Activity was restored upon addition of zinc indicating the enzyme is a zinc metalloproteinase. A band corresponding to purified elastase activity was present at approximately 30kDa in a denaturing polyacrylamide gel.

Chromobacteriosis in a Chinese red panda (Ailurus fulgens styani)

An adult Chinese red panda (Ailurus fulgens styani) transported by airplane from Florida to a North Dakota zoo died 1 week after arrival. Grossly, an interscapular abscess, subcutaneous inflammation, lymphadenitis, and pulmonary abscesses were observed. Microscopic findings included necrotizing inflammation in liver, lung, lymph node, and spleen. Chromobacterium violaceum was cultured from the interscapular abscess, liver, lung, and spleen and was injected into Swiss Webster mice. These mice died 18 hours postinoculation, and C. violaceum was cultured from liver, lung, and spleen. Chromobacterium violaceum is a sporadically reported but highly virulent pathogenic bacterium of both animals and humans typically found as a soil and water inhabitant of tropical and subtropical regions.

An acute pleuropneumonia in a pig caused by Chromobacterium violaceum

A 2.5-month-old, 30 kg Duroc pig died 10 days after showing clinical signs of dyspnoea and diarrhoea. Acute necrotizing and fibrinous pleuropneumonia with locally extensive lesions was found. Chromobacterium violaceum was isolated from pneumonic lung tissues and intratracheal inoculation of a pure culture into two SPF pigs reproduced lesions similar to those found in the natural infection.