[Sepsis caused by non-O1-Vibrio cholerae: a patient in The Netherlands]

In a 84-year-old woman extraintestinal infection by non-OI Vibrio cholerae was diagnosed. She had septicaemia with cholangitis and cholecysto- and choledocholithiasis. Until now 26 patients with non-OI V. cholerae septicaemia have been reported. Most had an underlying disease, usually a chronic liver disease or haematological malignancy. These disorders were not present in our patient. She was treated with co-trimoxazole and afterwards she underwent a cholecystectomy and common bile duct exploration. At the time of operation no non-OI V. cholerae could be isolated from the gallbladder or the bile from the common bile duct. A possible cause of the infection was a herring which the patient had eaten six weeks before hospital admission.