Vibrio vulnificus.

V vulnificus is a halophilic or salt-requiring vibrio that has been isolated repeatedly from seawater and shellfish in coastal waters. This vibrio, first described by Hollis et al in 1976, can be differentiated from other similar vibrios by its ability to ferment lactose and by its lower tolerance for sodium chloride. V vulnificus, unlike most other vibrios, has seldom been incriminated as a cause of gastroenteritis but is a particularly virulent organism that causes severe wound infections in mostly healthy persons, or causes primary septicemia in persons with an underlying chronic disease, particularly chronic liver disease. Wound infections may range from relatively mild to severe and rapidly progressive cellulitis and myositis. Approximately 50% of patients with wound infections have some type of chronic underlying disease and the mortality rate is in the range of 15%. Wound infections are almost always associated with contact with seawater or the handling or cleaning of shellfish. Patients with primary septicemia have fever, chills, and prostration, and rapidly become hypotensive. Over 70% have distinctive bullous skin lesions that can strongly suggest the diagnosis in a patient with the appropriate history. The mortality rate is over 50%. There is a striking association between eating raw oysters and primary septicemia, with patients usually reporting having eaten raw oysters (or other shellfish) 24 to 48 hours before onset of symptoms.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)