A 31-year-old Texas man was examined by doctors at Dallas after complaining of severe pain in both legs and feet, along with fever, chills, and redness surrounding a recent tattoo on his left calf. Based on the severity of his symptoms, he was admitted to the hospital, where, over the next few hours, the area surrounding the tattoo became increasingly swollen and discolored. The patient's breathing soon became rapid and shallow, while his heartrate increased to compensate for his inefficient respiration. His blood pressure dropped dramatically and remained low despite the administration of intravenous fluids. His kidneys began to fail. The patient's collection of signs and symptoms indicated septic shock, an often fatal complication of bacterial infection. He was placed on a ventilator and given antibiotics to fight the infection. Upon admission to the hospital, the patient related that he had gotten the tattoo just over a week ago and had gone swimming in the ocean 5 days later, while it was still healing. He started to feel ill the following morning. He had previously been diagnosed with chronic liver disease, due to excessive alcohol consumption. The combination of the recent tattoo, the ocean visit, and the patient's liver disease pointed towards infection with Vibrio vulnificus, a small, gram-negative bacterium occasionally referred to as a comma bacterium because of its curved appearance. People are often more familiar with Vibrio cholera, the agent of diarrhea, but in the United States, V. vulnificus is far more prevalent. Infection occurs either via consumption of undercooked shellfish or through contact with open wounds. Most cases of vibriosis are mild and include watery diarrhea accompanied by abdominal cramping, nausea, vomiting, fever, and chills. Persons who are immunosuppressed, or who have underlying conditions, including cancer, diabetes, HIV, or liver disease, are at risk for more severe
A 31-year-old Texas man was examined by doctors at Dallas after complaining of severe pain in both legs and feet, along with fever, chills, and redness surrounding a recent tattoo on his left calf. Based on the severity of his symptoms, he was admitted to the hospital, where, over the next few hours, the area surrounding the tattoo became increasingly swollen and discolored. The patient's breathing soon became rapid and shallow, while his heartrate increased to compensate for his inefficient respiration. His blood pressure dropped dramatically and remained low despite the administration of intravenous fluids. His kidneys began to fail. The patient's collection of signs and symptoms indicated septic shock, an often fatal complication of bacterial infection. He was placed on a ventilator and given antibiotics to fight the infection. Upon admission to the hospital, the patient related that he had gotten the tattoo just over a week ago and had gone swimming in the ocean 5 days later, while it was still healing. He started to feel ill the following morning. He had previously been diagnosed with chronic liver disease, due to excessive alcohol consumption. The combination of the recent tattoo, the ocean visit, and the patient's liver disease pointed towards infection with Vibrio vulnificus, a small, gram-negative bacterium occasionally referred to as a comma bacterium because of its curved appearance. People are often more familiar with Vibrio cholera, the agent of diarrhea, but in the United States, V. vulnificus is far more prevalent. Infection occurs either via consumption of undercooked shellfish or through contact with open wounds. Most cases of vibriosis are mild and include watery diarrhea accompanied by abdominal cramping, nausea, vomiting, fever, and chills. Persons who are immunosuppressed, or who have underlying conditions, including cancer, diabetes, HIV, or liver disease, are at risk for more severe
Anatomy & Physiology
1st Edition
ISBN:9781938168130
Author:Kelly A. Young, James A. Wise, Peter DeSaix, Dean H. Kruse, Brandon Poe, Eddie Johnson, Jody E. Johnson, Oksana Korol, J. Gordon Betts, Mark Womble
Publisher:Kelly A. Young, James A. Wise, Peter DeSaix, Dean H. Kruse, Brandon Poe, Eddie Johnson, Jody E. Johnson, Oksana Korol, J. Gordon Betts, Mark Womble
Chapter18: The Cardiovascular System: Blood
Section: Chapter Questions
Problem 17RQ: Which of the following describes a neutrophil? abundant, agranular, especially effective against...
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1- given the facts of this case, what environmental factors is probably necessary for vibrio to grow adequately?
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