A Collective Review of Vibrio vulnificus Infection in Japan

Retrospective Analysis of Epidemiological Aspects of <i>Vibrio vulnificus</i> Infections in Korea in 2001&ndash;2010

“…In Korea, V. vulnificus infections occurred significantly more often in males (86.1z versus 13.9z; P º 0.01), and CFR was higher in males (50.4z versus 35.3z; P º 0.05) than in females. These remarkable differences in gender distribution are believed to be because of differences between the occurrence of chronic liver diseases, drinking habits, consumption of uncooked raw seafood, and wound infections among males and females (1,2,6,8,9). Korea and Japan are geographically and climatically extremely similar and also share a similar food culture.…”

“…In rare incidences, dermal infection can result in necrotizing fasciitis (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6). As shown in Table 1, the PR and CFR of the epidemiological aspects (gender, age, and occupation) of V. vulnificus infections in Korea from 2001 through 2010 were analyzed.…”

“…In immunocompromised persons, particularly those with chronic liver disease, V. vulnificus can infect the bloodstream, causing a severe and life-threatening illness characterized by fever and chills, decreased blood pressure, and blistering skin lesions (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6). V. vulnificus is found in marine coastal waters surrounding Korea, and infection with this organism by ingestion of raw shellfish or exposure to marine water can cause necrotizing fasciitis and sepsis, which are characterized by high mortality rates and short latency periods (6,7). In Korea, V. vulnificus infection is classified as a type IV notifiable disease by the Communicable Disease Prevention Act of the Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) in 2000 (7).…”

Successful Treatment of a Case of Necrotizing Fasciitis due to <i>Vibrio vulnificus</i> in a Cold Climate in Japan

“…V. vulnificus grows in relatively lowsalinity, brackish and coastal regions at water temperatures of 20 and higher (3,5,6). According to Oishi et al, most of V. vulnificus infection cases were reported in Western Japan (9). On the other hand, cases reported in northern Japan regions, such as Tohoku and Hokkaido districts including Aomori, accounted for only 1.1% of all cases.…”

“…According to the Cholera and Other Vibrio Illness Surveillance (COVIS), there are more reports at coastal areas, particularly in the warm Gulf coast area (8). In Japan, many cases of V. vulnificus infection have been reported in warm western Japan, while less in the northern relatively cold climate regions (9).…”