Vibrio vulnificus—A New Monster of the Deep?
Authors: J. Glenn Morris
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1988)

Editorials15 August 1988Vibrio vulnificus—A New Monster of the Deep?J. Glenn Morris Jr., MD, MPHTMJ. Glenn Morris Jr., MD, MPHTMAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-109-4-261 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptVibrio vulnificusis a relatively new addition to the list of bacteria known to cause serious disease in humans. When the clinical syndrome associated withV. vulnificuswas first described in 1979 (1) the organism was referred to as a "halophilic, lactose-fermenting marine Vibrio"; the current species name was not formally proposed until later that year. Biochemically,V. vulnificusclosely resemblesVibrio parahaemolyticus, another halophilic (salt-loving) marine vibrio, and it is likely that some of the more serious infections attributed toV. parahaemolyticusbefore the late 1970s were actually due toV. vulnificus. In this issue Klontz and associates (2)...References1. Blake P, Merson M, Weaver R, Hollis D, and Heublein P. Disease caused by a marine Vibrio: clinical characteristics and epidemiology. N Engl J Med. 1979;300:1-5. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. Klontz K, Lieb S, Schreiber M, Janowski H, Baldy L, and Gunn R. Vibrio vulnificus infections in Florida, 1981-1987; Clinical and epidemiologic features. Ann Intern Med. 1988;109:318-23. LinkGoogle Scholar3. Morris J and Black R. Cholera and other vibrioses in the United States. N Engl J Med. 1985;312:343-50. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Tacket C, Brenner F, and Blake P. Clinical features and an epidemiological study of Vibrio vulnificus infections. J Infect Dis. 1984;149:558-61. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Johnston J, Becker S, and McFarland L. Vibrio vulnificus: man and the sea. JAMA. 1985;253:2050-3. CrossrefGoogle Scholar6. Yoshida S, Ogawa M, and Mizuguchi Y. 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Oliver J, Warner R, and Cleland D.Distribution and ecology of Vibrio vulnificus and other lactose-fermenting marine vibrios in coastal waters of the southeastern United States. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1982;44:1404-14. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar17. Tamplin M, Rodrick G, Blake N, and Cuba T. Isolation and characterization of Vibrio vulnificus from two Florida estuaries. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1982;44:1466-70. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar18. Kaysner C, Abeyta C, Wekell M, DePaola A, Stott R, and Leitch J. Virulent strains of Vibrio vulnificus isolated from estuaries of the United States West Coast. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1987;53:1349-51. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar19. Davis J and Sizemore R. Incidence of Vibrio species associated with blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) collected from Galveston Bay, Texas. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1982;43:1092-7. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar20. . Proceedings, Workshop on Vibrio vulnificus and Sanitary Control of Shellfish. March 15-17, 1988, Washington, D.C. Google Scholar21. Blake P. Vibrios on the half shell: what the walrus and the carpenter didn't know. Ann Intern Med. 1983;99:558-9. LinkGoogle Scholar22. DuPont H. Consumption of raw shellfish—is the risk now unacceptable? [Editorial]. N Engl J Med. 1986;314:707-8. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: J. 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