Edwardsiella tarda associated with osteomyelitis

A case of osteomyelitis associated with Edwardsiella tarda is reported. Specimens from a wound exudate of a 58-year-old female with osteomyelitis revealed on a direct gram-stained smear, pleomorphic, gram-negative rods. Growth of the organism on differential media and analysis of its Analytab (API)(*) patterns produced results consistent with E. tarda. The identification of the organism was confirmed by the Center for Disease Control, Atlanta. This represents the first reported case of a wound infection attributable to this organism.