Liver abscesses by Chromobacterium violaceum: a case report of a rare disease

Introduction Chromobacterium violaceum is a Gram-negative bacillus often found in soil and water of tropical and subtrop-ical regions. Human infection by this bacterium is rare; however, when it occurs, it is associated with high mor-tality rates if not diagnosed or treated correctly or early enough. A study car-ried out between 1971 and 2005 high-lighted that human infection by this microorganism could yield mortality rates between 60 % and 80%. Systemic clinical symptoms include sepsis and visceral abscesses in the liver. The combination of percutaneous drainage of abscesses and systemic antibiotic therapy remains the most common treatment. Currently, it is believed that diagnosis via computed tomography scan and ultrasound-guided aspira-tion must be done before beginning antibiotic therapy. We report a case of C. violaceum infection in Brazil in a pa-tient who had rapid evolution of signs and multiple liver abscesses. Treat-ment consisted of interventional ra-†‹‘Ž‘‰› ƒ† ‹’”‘ Ў‘šƒ ‹ ™‹–Š‘—– –Š‡ need for surgical intervention.