Vibrio vulnificus septicaemia

Autopsy cases of fulminant bacterial infection in adults: clinical onset depends on the virulence of bacteria and patient immune status

To assist physicians in recognizing the potentially fatal onset of symptoms in cases of fulminant bacterial infection, we analyzed 11 autopsy cases of such infection (four caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae, four by S. pyogenes, one by S. dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis, one by Staphylococcus aureus, and one by Vibrio vulnificus). Clinicohistopathologic features were evaluated. All patients experienced sudden onset of hypotension and multiple organ failure, leading to unexpected death. Blood culture confirmed bacteremia. The main chief complaints were gastrointestinal symptoms (45%) and limb pain (36%). All had an underlying chronic illness (82%), e.g., a hematologic disorder (36.3%) or liver cirrhosis (27.2%). Necrotizing fasciitis occurred in only 55% of cases, with none involving pneumococcal infection. Laboratory tests typically showed C-reactive protein elevation but without leukocytosis, indicating a high-level inflammatory state. In ten cases, death was attributed to circulatory collapse due to sepsis; severe pulmonary congestion and hemorrhage were present in these cases. The onset of fulminant bacterial infection depends on both virulence of the bacterium and status of the host defense system.

Sudden death caused by fulminant bacterial infection: background and pathogenesis of Japanese adult cases

OBJECTIVE

To analyze a risk factor for the onset of fulminant bacterial infection.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Nine unexpected acute death cases were clinicopathologically analysed. All cases represented the sudden onset of shock symptom, led to acute death within a few days, and later bacteremia was identified. Pathogens were Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae) (5 cases), group A beta Hemolytic Streptococcus pyogenes (S. pyogenes) (3 cases), and Vibrio vulnificus (V. vulnificus) (1 case).

RESULTS

Seven of the nine patients had underlying chronic illness. S. pneumoniae infection was associated with splenic dysfunction, and group A beta Hemolytic S. pyogenes and V. vulnificus infections were associated with alcoholic liver injury. Group A beta hemolytic S. pyogenes and V. vulnificus infections involved necrotizing fasciitis, and alcoholic liver cirrhosis was confirmed in two of the four patients.

CONCLUSION

Despite the different type of bacteria, the onset of fulminant bacterial infection depended upon depressed bacterial phagocytosis in the liver or spleen. Underlying chronic illnesses should be identified as a predisposing common risk factor. It is important to understand the relations between underlying chronic illness and the onset of fulminant infection.

Sepsis caused by food-borne infection with Escherichia coli

We report a case of sepsis caused by Escherichia coli (E. coli) of serotype O-143. A 78-year-old man developed symptoms of gastroenteritis after ingesting raw meat on noodles. He rapidly developed respiratory failure. Blood culture grew E. coli. The sepsis seemed to have directly spread from a food-borne infection. The development of primary sepsis after ingesting E. coli is very rare. We suspect that bacterial translocation played a major role. Serotype O-143 is recognized in enteroinvasive E. coli (EIEC) as well as in Shigella dysenteriae. The pathogen in the present case is suspected of being EIEC although the isolated E. coli strain was negative for the inv and ipa genes.

Two cases of severe sepsis due to Vibrio vulnificus wound infection acquired in the Baltic Sea

Two severe cases of Vibrio vulnificus wound infection with secondary septicemia occurred during 1 week in August 2003 on the German island of Usedom in the southwestern Baltic Sea. In both cases, pre-existing wounds were inoculated by wading in contaminated sea water. One of the patients died from septic multiorgan failure. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first fatality due to a V. vulnificus infection to have occurred in Germany. Microbiological analysis revealed high concentrations of V. vulnificus in sea water along the coastline, following a period when water temperature exceeded 20 degrees C for more than 2 weeks.

Sepsis with bullous necrotizing skin lesions due to vibrio vulnificus acquired through recreational activities in the Baltic Sea

This report describes the case of a 59-year-old woman with a history of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma who developed bacteremia with Vibrio vulnificus. The patient had been swimming in the unusually warm Baltic Sea in the summer of 2002. She presented with symptoms of septicemia and severe bullous necrotizing skin lesions of the extremities. Blood culture revealed Vibrio vulnificus as the pathogenic organism. Under treatment with cefotaxime and gentamicin, she recovered slowly without further complications. Vibrio vulnificus is a marine bacterium that is present in aquatic ecosystems worldwide, especially when water temperatures exceed 20 degrees C. Infections with Vibrio vulnificus are uncommon in Europe, and most cases are reported from subtropical or tropical regions.