Open AccessChromobacterium violaceum causing disseminated soft tissue and pulmonary abscesses in a traveller returning from the Azores
Author(s) -
Melissa Chowdhury,
Nathaniel Lee,
Emmanuel Wey
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
access microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2516-8290
DOI - 10.1099/acmi.0.000251
Subject(s) - chromobacterium violaceum , sepsis , antibiotics , disease , medicine , organism , soft tissue , epidemiology , dermatology , intensive care medicine , pathology , biology , surgery , microbiology and biotechnology , bacteria , paleontology , quorum sensing , genetics , biofilm
This case report describes a 30-year-old male patient presenting with Chromobacterium violaceum cutaneous lesions who develops a subsequent bacteraemia, complicated by soft tissue and pulmonary abscesses. C. violaceum disease is a rare infection that can manifest in a spectrum from cutaneous lesions to disseminated disease and sepsis, the latter associated with high mortality. Although in the available literature there is a recommendation for a prolonged antibiotic course, we describe effective management with a shorter course of antibiotics. This case highlights the importance of not only considering a diagnosis of C. violaceum if there has been a high risk and appropriate exposure, but to also consider the changing epidemiology of the organism due to certain geographical areas becoming warmer due to climate change.