Pathogenicity of nonpigmented cultures of Chromobacterium violaceum

Nonpigmented cultures of Chromobacterium violaceum have been found to be similar to pigmented cultures in their virulence for mice and the pathology of their infections. Clinicians and microbiologists should be prepared to consider nonpigmented C. violaceum in their differential diagnoses of infections caused by gram-negative bacteria. The laboratorian who is not aware of this possibility is likely to erroneously identify nonpigmented strains of C. violaceum as members of closely associated genera, particularly Aeromonas. It is known that violet pigmentation is not an essential feature or an exclusive character of the genus Chromobacterium. This study has also shown that pigmentation of C. violaceum is not related to its pathogenicity or to the pathology of its infections.