A case of Vibrio vulnificus septicaemia acquired in Victoria

The clinical features and laboratory findings of a case of Vibrio vulnificus septicaemia are reported. The illness occurred in a previously well 68-year-old man who was accidentally spiked in the buttock by the dorsal spine of a flathead caught in Tamboon Inlet, near Mallacoota, Victoria. The clinical picture of an acute septicaemic illness with shock, associated with metastatic cellulitic lesions on the lower limbs progressing to bulla formation, skin necrosis, necrotising fasciitis and myositis, is characteristic of V. vulnificus septicaemia. It would appear that tetracyclines are the drugs of choice. Surgical debridement may be necessary. Clinical recognition of this rare but characteristic illness will facilitate early effective chemotherapy. To our knowledge this is the southern-most case reported in Australia.