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Background: Vibrio alginolyticus is an anaerobic Gram-negative bacillus found in normal marine flora and is considered as non pathogenic for humans. Infections due to Vibrio alginolyticus are seldom reported and can be seen after exposure to seawater or to marine animals., Patients and Methods: A 51-year-old man was bitten on the back of the hand by an octopus that had just been caught in the Mediterranean Sea. A painful inflammatory cutaneous ulceration developed and did not heal despite treatment with bacitracin-neomycin ointment. The bacteriological smear revealed the presence of Vibrio alginolyticus. The ulceration progressively healed without sequelae after two weeks of oral ciprofloxacin therapy., Discussion: The most common, though rarely reported, infections due to Vibrio alginolyticus are otitis, conjunctivitis, superficial pyodermatitis and gastroenteritis. There is an increasing obvious fact about potentially serious and life-threatening infections due to Vibrio alginolyticus especially in immunocompromised patients. This bacillus can colonize skin tissue by penetrating a skin abrasion. In our case, the patient sustained a wound from the octopus's beak. Vibrio alginolyticus should be included in the list of pathogens causing skin infections, especially if patients have been in contact with seawater in warm climate regions or with marine animals. The optimal antibiotic therapy for Vibrio alginolyticus has not been determined and antibiotic resistance could constitute an important complication.

Background: Vibrio vulnificus is a non-choleric halophilic vibrion widely distributed in marine environments. Contamination in humans is uncommon except in coastal areas of the United States and Asia. We report the first documented case in the French West Indies., Case Report: A 57-year-old native with alcoholic cirrhosis was hospitalized for septic shock. The infectious syndrome began suddenly a few hours earlier with fever, diarrhea, and intense pain in the calf muscles. In the absence of a suspected agent, a wide spectrum antibiotic was prescribed. On day 3, bullae developed over the legs and progressed, despite early surgical debridement, to bilateral rapidly extensive necrosing cellulitis. An above the knee amputation was required but did not prevent death on day 9 due to irreversible multiple organ failure. Blood cultures were positive for V. vulnificus., Discussion: Primary septicemia due to V. vulnificus is mainly observed in subjects with an underlying liver disease and usually occurs after ingestion of contamined raw halieutic products such as oysters. The clinical presentation is characteristic with secondary necrotic ulcerations on the lower limbs. Improvement in the extremely poor prognosis of these infections depends on early initiation of an effective antibiotic with wide exeresis of necrotic tissue. Physicians should be aware of this severe infection despite its low frequency.