Background: Chromobacterium violaceum is a Gram negative facultative anaerobic bacillus, found in soil and stagnant water, that usually has a violet pigmented appearance on agar culture. It is rarely described as a human pathogen, mostly from tropical and subtropical areas. Case presentation: A 53 year-old farmer died with Chromobacterium violaceum septicemia in Laos. A modified oxidase method was used to demonstrate that this violacious organism was oxidase positive. Forensic analysis of the glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase genotypes of his family suggest that the deceased patient did not have this possible predisposing condition. Conclusion: C. violaceum infection should be included in the differential diagnosis in patients presenting with community-acquired septicaemia in tropical and subtropical areas. The apparently neglected but simple modified oxidase test may be useful in the oxidase assessment of other violet-pigmented organisms or of those growing on violet coloured agar. © 2009 Slesak et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.
CITATION STYLE
Slesak, G., Douangdala, P., Inthalad, S., Silisouk, J., Vongsouvath, M., Sengduangphachanh, A., … Newton, P. N. (2009). Fatal Chromobacterium violaceum septicaemia in northern Laos, a modified oxidase test and post-mortem forensic family G6PD analysis. Annals of Clinical Microbiology and Antimicrobials, 8. https://doi.org/10.1186/1476-0711-8-24
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