Sepsis by Chromobacterium violaceum: first case report from Colombia

chromobacterium violaceum is found in tropical and subtropical regions; it is the only chromobacterium species pathogenic for humans. due to its rare presentation, physicians often ignore the importance of this pathogen. we report a fulminant fatal case of bacteremia in a 38-year-old colombian man. the clinical manifestations were fever, thoracic pain, respiratory failure and death. his condition, from the beginning of clinical diagnosis, went into continuous deterioration, till his death, within a few days after the symptoms began. two hemocultures isolated c. violaceum. we conclude that doctors should consider this differential diagnosis in patients with systemic inflammatory response syndrome, with continuous deterioration.