Near‐fatal septicaemia with Chromobacterium violaceum

Chromobacterium violaceum infection in Brazil. A case report

“…Infections with Chromobacterium violaceum, although rare, are characterized by rapid dissemination and high mortality. This Gramnegative bacillus is found in the water and soil of tropical and subtropical regions, causing human infection mainly in Southeast Asia and in the Southeastern region of the United States 3,6 . Two reports have been published for South America, respectively involving one case in Brazil 7 and one in Argentina 5 .…”

Successful Treatment of an Infant with Chromobacterium violaceum Sepsis

“…C. violaceum is known to be generally resistant to cephalosporins and penicillins [17,20]. Indeed, our patient received both ceftriaxone and ampicillin without improvement of symptoms.…”

Chromobacterium violaceum endocarditis and hepatic abscesses treated successfully with meropenem and ciprofloxacin

“…To the Editor : I read with interest the recent case report by Lim and colleagues on Chromobacterium violaceum endocarditis 1 . References to the article do not include a report of a similar case published 20 years ago, also in the MJA 2 . Perhaps reference searches can be enhanced — otherwise, identifying such similar cases falls to recollected experience (I was the initial treating doctor in the 1988 case) or an improbably capacious memory in the author or reader.…”

“…What saved the patient in February 1988 2 were two new antibiotics that were not generally available at the time but were held at Royal Brisbane Hospital — imipenem and ciprofloxacin. Imipenem is a β‐lactam antibiotic of the carbapenem subgroup, derived from Streptomyces cattleya , that was developed in 1985 3 .…”