Table 3.
Clinical features of patients with Chromobacterium violaceum infections
| Case number | Sex | Diagnosis year | Age at diagnosis | Site of isolate | Clinical disease | Mixed culture | Treatment | Outcome | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | F | 2000 | 23 | Lower limb | SSTI | Coliform sp. | Co-trimoxazole. Prior amoxycillin had failed | Resolved | Jeep bogged in mud, fell onto branch; leg wound. 8 months later, re-explored – chronic infection with granulation tissue. |
| 2 | M | 2000 | 12 | Upper limb | SSTI | Mixed coliforms | Cephazolin + gentamicin initially, 7 days co-trimoxazole | Resolved | Right elbow laceration, fell off a motorbike |
| 3 | F | 2001 | 42 | Torso | SSTI | Mixed coliforms, yeast on separate tissue | Piperacillin–tazobactam 3 days, then meropenem gentamicin 3/7 | Deceased | Polymicrobial gram-negative sepsis from ischemic bowel, abdominal wall abscess, and fat necrosis |
| 4 | F | 2001 | 53 | Lower limb | SSTI | Staphylococcus aureus | Gentamicin 7 days. Co-trimoxazole 2 weeks | Resolved | Diabetic foot infection—deep plantar collection |
| 5 | F | 2004 | 78 | Urine | Urinary tract infection | Pure growth | Co-trimoxazole 1 month | Resolved | Co-morbidity – ovarian malignancy with ascites |
| 6 | M | 2004 | 52 | Torso | SSTI | – | Piperacillin–tazobactam 10 days | Resolved | Sternal wound sepsis post cardiac graft surgery |
| 7 | M | 2006 | 19 | Sputum | Ventilator pneumonia | Burkholderia cepacia | Meropenem 4 days | Resolved | Trauma—hit by fiancé's ex with a bat. Subdural, ventilator pneumonia. No other exposure history |
| 8 | M | 2006 | 32 | Lower limb | SSTI | – | Co-trimoxazole 3 weeks | Resolved | Laceration third, fourth toe while in swamp. Pus drained |
| 9 | F | 2006 | 61 | Urine | Severe sepsis, urosepsis | Escherichia coli | Meropenem, then piperacillin–tazobactam | Resolved | Patient was septic from urosepsis, coinfection with E. coli and C. violaceum |
| 10 | M | 2008 | 57 | Torso | SSTI | Aeromonas sp., Acinetobacter sp., mixed anaerobes, enteric flora | Meropenem 14 days | Resolved | Found in creek outside hospital, chest wall infection |
| 11 | F | 2008 | 38 | Blood | Septicemia, pneumonia | – | Meropenem 1 week | Deceased | Homeless patient presented with severe sepsis |
| 12 | F | 2009 | 9 | Urine | Urinary tract infection | – | Co-trimoxazole 2 weeks | Resolved | Recurrent urosepsis, patient with vesicoureteric reflux |
| 13 | M | 2010 | 45 | Upper limb | SSTI | Staphylococcus aureus, Vibrio spp., group G Streptococcus | Doxycycline | Resolved | Stab injury to right hand |
| 14 | M | 2012 | 50 | Lower limb | SSTI | Enteric flora, cutaneous flora | Cephazolin, then doxycycline | Resolved | Toe abscess was debrided |
| 15 | M | 2013 | 76 | Sputum | Exacerbation chronic pulmonary disease | Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Chryseobacterium indologenes | Co-trimoxazole | Resolved | Chromobacterium violaceum present with other environmental gram-negative bacteria |
| 16 | M | 2014 | 82 | Urine | Urinary tract infection | Pseudomonas sp. | Ceftazidime 2 days, then norfloxacin | Resolved | Symptomatic urinary tract infection, with C. violaceum and Pseudomonas aeruginosa both present |
| 17 | M | 2015 | 21 | Upper limb | SSTI | S. aureus, coliforms | Debridement, flucloxacillin, then amoxycillin-clavulanic acid | Resolved | Spider bite, abscess debrided, C. violaceum also present with S. aureus |
| 18 | F | 2015 | 15 | Blood | Skin wound, bacteremia, liver abscess | Group B Streptococcus, S. aureus | Meropenem 2 weeks, ciprofloxacin, doxycycline 4 weeks | Resolved | Liver abscesses and septicemia, required prolonged intensive care unit admission |
F = female; M = male; SSTI = skin and soft tissue infection.