An Interesting Case of Cellulitis Caused by Shewanella

Shewanella species are opportunistically pathogenic, gram-negative bacilli that are part of marine microflora. Infection caused by Shewanella species in humans is rare and mostly acquired after direct contact with seawater or ingestion of raw seafood. The exact pathogenesis remains unclear. Cutaneous infections are among the most common manifestation with underlying skin diseases and immune-compromised states; however, bacteremia from lungs, abdominal, and biliary sepsis has also been reported. These infections are difficult to diagnose due to limited physicians' experience and scarce microbiological data available. Hence, delayed diagnosis and treatment could be fatal and may result in sepsis with multi-organ failure. Our case report reiterates the fact that careful attention should be devoted to unusual circumstances in history and atypical pathogens on cultures if there is no or minimal clinical improvement after antibiotics.