Epidemiology
Risk Factors
- Ingestion of Raw Shellfish (Oysters, etc)
- Vibrio Vulnificus Can Be Isolated from Almost All Oysters Harvested in the Chesapeake Bay and the Gulf of Mexico When the Water Temperature is >80°F (27.6°C)
High-Risk Groups
- Alcohol Abuse Without Liver Disease (see Ethanol)
- Chronic Hepatitis
- Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) (see Chronic Kidney Disease)
- Cirrhosis (see Cirrhosis): due to impaired bacterial clearance by hepatic macrophages -> dissemination within 36 hrs of ingestion
- Diabetes Mellitus (DM) (see Diabetes Mellitus)
- Hereditary Hemochromatosis (see Hemochromatosis)
- Immunodeficiency Syndromes
- Lymphoma (see Lymphoma)
- Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) (see Rheumatoid Arthritis)
- Transplant
Microbiology
- Vibrio Vulnificus
- Halophilic, Curved, Capsulated Gram-Negative Rod Found in Warm Salt Water
Diagnosis
Blood Culture (see Blood Culture)
- Diagnostic
Wound Culture (see Wound Culture)
- May Be Diagnostic
Clinical Manifestations
Gastrointestinal Manifestations
- Gastrointestinal Illness: self-limited
Soft Tissue Manifestations
- Necrotizing Fasciitis (Type II) (see Necrotizing Soft Tissue Infection ): due to contact with contaminated water
Other Manifestations
- Sepsis (see Sepsis)
- General Comments
- Abrupt Onset of Disease
- Clinical
- Altered Mental Status (see Altered Mental Status)
- Coalescing Areas of Cellulitis (see Cellulitis)
- Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC) (see Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation, [[Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation]])
- Fever (see Fever)
- Gastrointestinal Disturbances
- Hypotension (see
- General Comments