[A case of Vibrio vulnificus infection presenting with invagination]

Abstract

A 73-year-old man with advanced lung cancer ate raw fish the day before being admitted to our hospital with severe abdominal pain, fever and vomiting. Soon afterward he fell into shock and disseminated intravenous coagulation. A CT scan revealed invagination and emergency surgery was performed. On the first day after surgery, Vibrio vulnificus was cultured from his ascites and blood. The infection was controlled by antibiotic treatment and he was discharged 23 days after the surgery. Vibrio vulnificus infection is an opportunistic infection that develops mostly in patients with liver cirrhosis within two days after eating raw seafood or having the injured skin exposed to sea water in the summer. Mortality is 70%, and more than half of these patients die within 72 hours of onset. Early diagnosis and treatment are very important. In addition, the public should be educated to protect immuno-compromised individuals from this infection.