Volume 10, Number 8—August 2004
Synopsis
Vibrio vulnificus in Taiwan
Po-Ren Hsueh*
, Ching-Yih Lin†, Hung-Jen Tang†, Hsin-Chun Lee‡, Jien-Wei Liu§, Yung-Ching Liu¶, and Yin-Ching Chuang†
, Ching-Yih Lin†, Hung-Jen Tang†, Hsin-Chun Lee‡, Jien-Wei Liu§, Yung-Ching Liu¶, and Yin-Ching Chuang† 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.
bInclude ceftazidime, cefotaxime, ceftriaxone, and moxalactam.
cInclude a penicillin or a first-generation cephalosporin plus an aminoglycoside or minocycline.
