Two cases of Chromobacterium violaceum infection after injury in a subtropical region

Chromobacterium violaceum is a gram-negative rod and is isolated from soil and water in tropical and subtropical regions. The species have pigmented a nd nonpigmented colony types, Infections caused by nonpigmented strains are rare. We report on two cases of infection caused by both pigmented and non pigmented strains of C. violaceum. Two 24-year-old Korea Airline stewardess es mere admitted to Inha University Hospital, Inchon, South Korea, on 9 Aug ust 1997, 3 days after an airplane accident in Guam. Both had multiple lace rations on exposed parts of their bodies. There was swelling, tenderness, a nd pus discharge. The wounds contained many small fragments of stones and w eeds. A pigmented strain was isolated from the left hand and a nonpigmented strain was isolated from the left knee of one patient. For the other patie nt only a nonpigmented strain was isolated from a foot wound. The nonpigmen ted colonies from the left-knee and the left-foot wounds did not produce an y pigment even after an extended period of incubation. The biochemical char acteristics were the same for each strain except for oxidase and indole rea ctions. The pigmented strain was oxidase negative and indole positive, wher eas the nonpigmented strains were oxidase positive and indole negative. The patients mere successfully treated by debridement and with appropriate ant ibiotics.