Table. Clinical characteristics of 84 patients with Vibrio vulnificus infections who were treated at five major hospitals, Taiwan, 1995–2000.
| Characteristic (no. of patients for whom information was available) | No. of patients (%) |
|---|---|
| Sex (n = 84) | |
| Male/female | 61 (72.6)/23 (27.4) |
| Age, mean/range (yr) | 60/9-87 |
| Underlying disease (n = 84)a | |
| Chronic hepatitis B or C virus infection | 10 (11.9) |
| Liver cirrhosis | 35 (41.7) |
| Hepatitis B or C virus infection-related | 21 |
| Alcoholic | 7 |
| Hepatoma | 7 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 13 (15.5) |
| Steroid use | 10 (11.9) |
| Alcoholism | 8 ( 9.5) |
| Renal insufficiency | 6 (7.1) |
| Other malignancies | 3 (3.6) |
| None | 12 (14.3) |
| Type of infection (n = 84) | |
| Cutaneous infection | 57 (67.9) |
| Cellulitis | 15 (17.9) |
| With bacteremia | 5 |
| With septic shock | 6 |
| Necrotizing fasciitis | 42 (50.0) |
| With bacteremia | 2 |
| With septic shock | 32 |
| Primary septicemia | 20 (23.8) |
| With septic shock | 3 |
| Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis | 6 ( 7.1) |
| Meningitis | 1 ( 1.2) |
| Exposure history (n = 55) | |
| Injury from handling marine animals (fish, crab) | 7 (12.7) |
| Preexisting skin wounds | 11 (20.0) |
| Ingestion of raw seafood | 2 ( 3.6) |
| None | 35 (63.6) |
| Initial antibiotic treatment (n = 82) | |
| A third-generation cephalosporinb plus minocycline | 38 (46.3) |
| A first-generation cephalosporin plus an aminoglycoside | 15 (18.3) |
| Other combinationsc | 29 (35.4) |
| Surgical treatment (cutaneous lesions, n = 57) | |
| Incision and drainage, débridement and/or fasciotomy | 43 (75.4) |
| Amputation | 6 (10.5) |
| Outcome | |
| Survived | 57 (67.9) |
| Died | 25 (29.8) |
| Unknown | 2 ( 2.4) |
aPatients might have more than two underlying diseases. bIncludes ceftazidime, cefotaxime, ceftriaxone, and moxalactam. cIncludes a penicillin or a first-generation cephalosporin plus an aminoglycoside or minocycline.