The first report of Vibrio fluvialis isolated from a clinical sample in Iran

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Vibrio fluvialis is a Gram-negative, bacillus-shaped, curved bacterium known as an emerging pathogen. There are reports ofoutbreaks caused by this bacterium worldwide. Iran, especially Qom province, is an endemic region for gastrointestinal diseases caused by Vibrio species. So,the aim was to isolate V. fluvialis from clinical and environ- mental samples.

Materials and Methods: During six months, 363 clinical and surface water samples were evaluated. The samples were cultured on specific media, and allincubated for 24 hours at 37°C. Suspicious colonies were evaluated by Gram staining and biochemical tests. The BD Phoenix automated microbiologysystem was used for the final confirmation of the isolated bacteria. Evaluation of antibiotic resistance of isolated strains was also performed according to CLSI standard.

Results: Eight cases (2.2%) of V. fluvialis, including seven from surface water samples (87.5%) and one from clinical sam- ples (12.5%), were isolated. Basedon antimicrobial susceptibility testing, all V. fluvialis isolates were susceptible to amika- cin, gentamicin, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, ciprofloxacin,tetracycline, ceftazidime, and chloramphenicol. High-level resistance to ampicillin and amoxicillin/clavulanate was also observed. V. fluvialis-infected patienthad a mild fever, watery diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, and abdominal cramps that were manifested after drinking contaminated water or eating con- taminated vegetables. The patient's symptoms recovered without antibiotic therapy after four days, resulting in self-limiting disease.

Conclusion: The current study is the first human case of V. fluvialis infection isolated in Iran. Therefore, monitoring of water and food samples should be done routinely.