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A case ofVibrio vulnificus infection

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Abstract

Vibrio vulnificus, a recently described strain of the halophilicVibrio species, was isolated from the blood of a 73-year-old man, who developed rapidly progressive wound infection and fatal septicemia. Twenty-one patients withVibrio vulnificus infection have been reported in the Japanese literature.Vibrio vulnificus most frequently causes primary septicemia and necrotising cellulitis after the eating of raw fish or shellfish or after exposure to seawater. The infection is characterized by its occurring during the warm months of the year, in patients with underlying diseases, especially liver diseases, and the mortality rate is surprisingly high. Clinicians should therefore consider the possibility ofVibrio vulnificus infection in the differential diagnosis of severe wound infections. Early surgical intervention and intensive antibiotic therapy are recommended for preventing the progress of the septicemia.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Second Department of Surgery, Aichi Medical University, 21 Karimata, Yazako, Nagakute, Aichi-gun, 480-11, Aichi, Japan

    Takashi Ohta MD, Ryohei Kato, Kazuhiko Boku, Mitsutaka Kondo, Hideki Kazui, Kenichi Naiki & Hiromichi Tsuchioka

  2. Department of Anesthesiology, Aichi Medical University, 21 Karimata, Yazako, Nagakute, Aichi-gun, 480-11, Aichi, Japan

    Yasunori Inoue, Hiroshi Noguchi & Yoshiaki Takumi

  3. Second Department of Pathology, Aichi Medical University, 21 Karimata, Yazako, Nagakute, Aichi-gun, 480-11, Aichi, Japan

    Kohji Ikuta

Authors
  1. Takashi Ohta MD
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  2. Ryohei Kato
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Ohta, T., Kato, R., Boku, K. et al. A case ofVibrio vulnificus infection. The Japanese Journal of Surgery 18, 580–587 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02471493

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02471493

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