Fatal Chromobacterium violaceum bacteraemia in rural Bandundu, Democratic Republic of the Congo

E Bottieau; D Mukendi; J-R Kalo; A Mpanya; P Lutumba; B Barbé; F Chappuis; O Lunguya; M Boelaert; J Jacobs

doi:10.1016/j.nmni.2014.10.007

Fatal Chromobacterium violaceum bacteraemia in rural Bandundu, Democratic Republic of the Congo

New Microbes New Infect. 2014 Nov 12:3:21-3. doi: 10.1016/j.nmni.2014.10.007. eCollection 2015 Jan.

Authors

E Bottieau¹, D Mukendi², J-R Kalo², A Mpanya², P Lutumba², B Barbé¹, F Chappuis³, O Lunguya², M Boelaert⁴, J Jacobs⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium.
² Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
³ Division of International and Humanitarian Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals and University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
⁴ Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium.
⁵ Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium ; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.

Abstract

We describe the first case of bacteraemia caused by Chromobacterium violaceum in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This diagnosis was made in an apparently healthy adult who was admitted to a rural hospital of the province of Bandundu with severe community-acquired sepsis. The patient developed multi-organ failure and died; to our knowledge, this is the first reported fatal case in an adult in Africa.

Keywords: Bacteraemia; Bandundu province; Central Africa; Chromobacterium violaceum; DRC.

Publication types

Case Reports