Chromobacterium violaceum is found in tropical and subtropical regions; it is the only Chromobacterium species pathogenic for humans. Due to its rare presentation, physicians often ignore the importance of this pathogen. We report a fulminant fatal case of bacteremia in a 38-year-old Colombian man. The clinical manifestations were fever, thoracic pain, respiratory failure and death. His condition, from the beginning of clinical diagnosis, went into continuous deterioration, till his death, within a few days after the symptoms began. Two hemocultures isolated C. violaceum. We conclude that doctors should consider this differential diagnosis in patients with systemic inflammatory response syndrome, with continuous deterioration.
A series of patients with meningococcal infections have been studied and divided in two groups: Group I patients with meningococcal sepsis and group II, those with meningococcal meningitis. Patients in group I presented with more severe encephalopathy, shock, DIC and acute systemic complications. Both groups showed a marked hypoaminoacidemia compared with normal controls (other than for the sulfur containing amino acids and phenylalanine). The concentration of aromatic and basic amino acids, the phenylalanine/tyrosine ratio, the transaminase levels and the negative nitrogen balance were higher in group I patients. The ratio of branched chain to aromatic amino acids was lower in group I. All these differences were statistically significant. The close association between the metabolic derangements and clinical manifestations may help in the understanding of several physiopathological aspects of meningococcal infections.
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