title: Chromobacterium violaceum lymphadenitis successfully treated in a Northern Italian hospital.
abstract: Lymphadenitis can be caused by different gram positive and gram negative bacteria and non-tuberculous mycobacteria. Cervical lymphadenitis in children is thought to result from ingestion of or contact with environmental microrganisms. Chromobacterium violaceum is a common inhabitant of soil and water in tropical and sub tropical countries. In these parts of the world Chromobacterium violaceum is able to cause skin infection with diffuse pustular lesions and also multiple liver abscess with often fatal evolution in sepsis. We describe a case of cervical lymphadenitis caused by Chromobacterium violaceum in a 14-year-old boy, born in Guinea and resident in Italy for 7 years in a fair condition with general measurable swelling in the right lateral cervical region and with blood tests that showed increased inflammatory indices. The patient was subjected to surgical incision. Antibiotic therapy with ceftriaxone was continued for 10 days, then replaced successfully with oral ciprofloxacin on the basis of purulent material culture positive for Chromobacterium violaceum sensitive to fluoroquinolones.
authors.affiliation: Unit of Microbiology and Virology, A O Ospedali Riuniti, Bergamo, Italy. marosio@ospedaliriuniti.bergamo.it
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arosio
authors.forename: Annibale
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Raglio
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ruggeri
authors.forename: Paula
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Serna Ortega
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Morali
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: De Angelis
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Goglio
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002443:Ceftriaxone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002673:Child, Hospitalized; D002861:Chromobacterium / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016905:Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008199:Lymphadenitis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology*; D008297:Male; D008828:Microbiological Techniques; D012988:Soil Microbiology
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D002443:Ceftriaxone