DEATH DUE TO SEPSIS CAUSED BY VIBRIO PARAHAEMOLYTICUS: CASE REPORT

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a Gram-negative bacterium present in estuaries worldwide (1) and already identified in Brazilian territory (2). However, there are no consistent reports in the literature of severe cases caused by infection with this organism. The present work aims to report a case of refractory septic shock caused by Vibrio parahaemolyticus. This is a 68-year-old male patient, hospitalized with septic shock of cutaneous origin (he had a lacerated-contused wound on the left foot and cellulitis in that limb). A family member reported that he was a construction worker and had injured his foot in a work accident about one week before admission. Four days before being admitted to the hospital, he had gone to Lagoa do Siri – a coastal lagoon located in the municipality of Marataízes, Espírito Santo State. He developed a febrile condition with significant impairment of general status and was admitted in septic shock. After initial empirical therapy with vancomycin and meropenem, treatment was adjusted to ciprofloxacin and azithromycin after isolation of the etiologic agent by blood culture analyzed by MALDI-TOF. He remained refractory and died four days after admission to the ICU. This case highlights the importance of early and accurate detection by hospital microbiology of the virulence of Vibrio parahaemolyticus, which is often described but rarely identified in clinical practice.