Fatal Chromobacterium violaceum septicaemia in northern Laos, a modified oxidase test and post-mortem forensic family G6PD analysis.

Journal article

BACKGROUND: Chromobacterium violaceum is a Gram negative facultative anaerobic bacillus, found in soil and stagnant water, that usually has a violet pigmented appearance on agar culture. It is rarely described as a human pathogen, mostly from tropical and subtropical areas. CASE PRESENTATION: A 53 year-old farmer died with Chromobacterium violaceum septicemia in Laos. A modified oxidase method was used to demonstrate that this violacious organism was oxidase positive. Forensic analysis of the glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase genotypes of his family suggest that the deceased patient did not have this possible predisposing condition. CONCLUSION: C. violaceum infection should be included in the differential diagnosis in patients presenting with community-acquired septicaemia in tropical and subtropical areas. The apparently neglected but simple modified oxidase test may be useful in the oxidase assessment of other violet-pigmented organisms or of those growing on violet coloured agar.

Authors: Slesak, G; Douangdala, P; Inthalad, S; Silisouk, J; Vongsouvath, M

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: BioMed Central
• Journal: Annals of Clinical Microbiology and Antimicrobials
• Volume: 8
• Issue: 1
• Article number: 24
• Publication date: 2009-01-01
• DOI: 10.1186/1476-0711-8-24
• EISSN: 1476-0711
• ISSN: 1476-0711
• Language: English
• Keywords: Mutation; Chromobacterium; Humans; Middle Aged; Sepsis; Female; Male; Bacterial Proteins; Fatal Outcome; Laos; Glucosephosphate Dehydrogenase; Oxidoreductases