Pathologic changes of gut in non-01 Vibrio cholerae infection

A 14-year-old girl who had beta-thalassemia hemoglobin E disease was infected by bacteriologically proven non-01 Vibrio cholerae at 2 months postsplenectomy and died 37 hours after onset of the malady. Postmortem examination disclosed congestion, edema, and hemorrhagic foci of the mucosa of the small and large intestines. The gut mucosa was focally eroded. The gut wall was infiltrated by leucocytes, especially neutrophils, in all coats representing acute purulent and hemorrhagic enterocolitis. There was hyperplasia of lymphoid follicles in the gut mucosa and lymph nodes. It is suggested that morphologic change of the gut in non-01 Vibrio cholerae infection is more severe than in infection caused by Vibrio cholerae.