Cholecystitis: its occurrence with cholelithiasis associated with a non-01 Vibrio cholerae

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Infectious Diseases
• Microbiology

Background:

• Acute cholecystitis and cholelithiasis are common conditions, particularly during pregnancy.
• Gallbladder infections can have various etiologies, necessitating accurate pathogen identification.

Observation:

• A 28-year-old pregnant woman presented with severe epigastric pain.
• Surgical exploration revealed acute cholecystitis with gallstones.
• A Gram-negative rod was isolated from gallbladder tissue culture.

Findings:

• The bacterial isolate demonstrated biochemical characteristics consistent with Vibrio cholerae.
• Crucially, the organism did not agglutinate with Vibrio O group 1 antisera, suggesting a non-O1 Vibrio cholerae strain or related species.
• This finding is significant as non-O1 Vibrio cholerae can also cause gastrointestinal and extraintestinal infections.

Implications:

• This case highlights the potential for non-O1 Vibrio cholerae to cause acute cholecystitis in pregnant individuals.
• Accurate identification of Vibrio species is critical for appropriate treatment and understanding disease pathogenesis.
• Further investigation into the prevalence and clinical significance of non-O1 Vibrio cholerae in cholecystitis is warranted.