Chromobacterium violaceum

C. violaceum ferments glucose, trehalose, N-acetylglucosamine and gluconate but not L-arabinose, D-galactose, or D-maltose. It is positive for catalase and oxidase reactions. Bacterial isolates in many cases can show high level resistance to a range of antibiotics.{{cite journal |vauthors=de Siqueira IC, Dias J, Ruf H, Ramos EA, Maciel EA, Rolim A, Labur L, Vasconcelos L, Silvany C |title=Chromobacterium violaceum in siblings, Brazil |journal=Emerging Infect. Dis. |volume=11 |issue=9 |pages=1443–5 |year=2005 |pmid=16229777 |pmc=3310629 |doi=10.3201/eid1109.050278 }}

C. violaceum rarely infects humans, but when it does it causes skin lesions, sepsis, and liver abscesses that may be fatal.{{cite journal | journal=Lancet | year=1953 | volume=265 | issue=6780 | pages=276–7 | title=Fatal infection by Chromobacterium violaceum | last1=Sneath |first1=PH |last2=Whelan |first2=JP |last3=Bhagwan Singh |first3=R |last4=Edwards |first4=D | pmid=13085740 | doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(53)91132-5}} The first reported case of Chromobacterium violaceum infection in humans in literature is from Malaysia in 1927. Only 150 cases have been reported in literature since then.{{cite journal | journal=Int J Appl Basic Med Res | year=2012 | volume=2 | issue=1 | pages=70–2 | title=Chromobacterium violaceum: A rare bacterium isolated from a wound over the scalp | author=M Ravish Kumar. | pmc=3657989 | doi=10.4103/2229-516X.96814| pmid=23776815 | doi-access=free }} To date, cases have been reported from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Cuba, India, Japan, Nigeria, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, United States and Vietnam. The most common mode of entry of the bacteria into the body is through the injured skin coming in contact with soil or water containing the bacteria.{{cite journal|last1=Duran|first1=N|last2=Menck|first2=FM|title=Chromobacterium violaceum: A review of pharmacological and industrial perspectives.|journal=Crit Rev Microbiol|date=2001|volume=27|issue=3|pages=201–22|pmid=11596879|doi=10.1080/20014091096747|s2cid=39515820}} The disease usually starts as a limited infection of the skin at the point of entry of the bacteria, which progresses to necrotizing metastatic lesions, then multiple abscesses of the liver, lung, spleen, skin, lymph nodes or brain, leading to severe septicaemia, culminating in multiorgan failure which may be fatal.{{cite journal|last1=Slesak|first1=G|last2=Douangdala|first2=P|last3=Inthalad|first3=S|last4=Silisouk|first4=J|last5=Voungsouath|first5=M|last6=Sengduangphachanh|first6=A|title=Fatal Chromobacterium violaceum septicaemia in northern Laos, a modified oxidase test and post-mortem forensic family G6PD analysis|journal=Ann Clin Microbiol Antimicrob|date=2009|volume=8|pages=24|doi=10.1186/1476-0711-8-24|pmc=2725030|display-authors=etal|pmid=19640274|doi-access=free}} Other reported pathologies include chronic granulomatosis, osteomyelitis, cellulitis, diarrhoea, septic spondylitis, conjunctivitis, periorbital and ocular infection.{{cite journal|last1=Dutta|first1=S|last2=Dutta|first2=SK|title=Multidrug resistant chromobacterium violaceum: An unusual bacterium causing long standing wound abscess|journal=Indian J Med Microbiol|date=2003|volume=21|issue=3|pages=217–8|doi=10.1016/S0255-0857(21)03082-6|pmid=17643028|url=http://www.ijmm.org/text.asp?2003/21/3/217/8025|access-date=6 March 2015}}{{cite journal|last1=Chou|first1=YL|last2=Yang .|first2=PY|last3=Huang|first3=CC|last4=Leu|first4=HS|last5=Tsao|first5=TC|title=Fatal and non-fatal chromobacterial septicemia: report of two cases|journal=Chang Gung Med J.|date=2000|volume=23|issue=8|pages=492–7|pmid=11039252}}{{cite journal|last1=Shao|first1=PL|last2=Hsueh|first2=PR|last3=Chang|first3=YC|last4=Lu|first4=CY|last5=Lee|first5=PY|last6=Lee|first6=CY|last7=Huang|first7=LM|title=Chromobacterium violaceum infection in children: a case of fatal septicemia with nasopharyngeal abscess and literature review|journal=Pediatr Infect Dis J|date=2002|volume=21|issue=7|pages=707–9|pmid=12237610|doi=10.1097/00006454-200207000-00022|doi-access=free}}{{cite journal|last1=Chen|first1=CH|last2=Lin|first2=LC|last3=Liu|first3=CE|last4=Young|first4=TG|title=Chromobacterium violaceum bacteremia: a case report|journal=J Microbiol Immunol Infect|date=2003|volume=36|issue=2|pages=141–4|pmid=12886967}} Care must be taken because Burkholderia pseudomallei is commonly misidentified as C. violaceum by many common identification methods.{{cite journal | last1=Inglis |first1=TJ |last2=Chiang |first2=D |last3=Lee |first3=GS |last4=Chor-Kiang |first4=L | title=Potential misidentification of Burkholderia pseudomallei by API 20NE | year=1998 | journal=Pathology | volume=30 | issue=1 | pages=62–64 | pmid= 9534210 | doi=10.1080/00313029800169685|s2cid=31987728 }}{{cite journal | last1=Lowe |first1=P |last2=Engler |first2=C |last3=Norton |first3=R | title=Comparison of Automated and Nonautomated Systems for Identification of Burkholderia pseudomallei | journal=J Clin Microbiol | year=2002 | pages=4625–7 | volume=40 | issue=12 | doi=10.1128/JCM.40.12.4625-4627.2002 | pmid=12454163 | pmc=154629}} The two are readily distinguished because B. pseudomallei produces large wrinkled colonies, whereas C. violaceum produces a distinctive violet pigment.

C. violaceum produces a number of natural antibiotics:

• Aztreonam is a monobactam antibiotic that is active against gram-negative aerobic bacteria including Pseudomonas aeruginosa. It is marketed as Azactam.
• Violacein is active against amoebae and trypanosomes;
• Aerocyanidine is active against Gram-positive organisms;
• Aerocavin is active against Gram-positive and Gram-negative organisms.

It has been described as a cause of infection in gibbons.{{cite journal |last1=Groves |first1=MG |last2=Strauss |first2=JM |last3=Abbas |first3=J |last4=Davis |first4=CE |title=Natural infections of gibbons with a bacterium producing violet pigment (Chromobacterium violaceum) |journal=J Infect Dis |year=1969 |volume=120 |issue=5 |pages=605–610 |pmid=5388196 |doi=10.1093/infdis/120.5.605}}

Infection caused by C. violaceum is rare, therefore there are no clinical trials evaluating different treatments. Antibiotics that have been used to successfully treat C. violaceum include pefloxacin, ciprofloxacin, amikacin, and co-trimoxazole.{{cite journal | last1 = Moore |first1=C |last2=Lane |first2=J |last3=Stephens |first3=J | title = Successful treatment of an infant with Chromobacterium violaceum sepsis | journal = Clin Infect Dis | volume = 32 | issue = 6 | pages = E107–10 | year = 2001 | pmid = 11247733 | doi = 10.1086/319356| doi-access = free }} Other antibiotics that appear to be effective in vitro include chloramphenicol and tetracycline.{{cite journal | journal=Rev Inst Med Trop Sao Paulo | year=2000 | volume=42 | issue=2 | pages=111–3 | title=Chromobacterium violaceum infection in Brazil. A case report | last1=Martinez |first1=R |last2=Velludo |first2=MA |last3=Santos |first3=VR |last4=Dinamarco |first4=PV | pmid=10810326 | doi=10.1590/s0036-46652000000200008| doi-access=free }} For theoretical reasons, infection would not be expected to respond to penicillins, cephalosporins, or aztreonam, although carbapenems like meropenem or imipenem may possibly work.{{cite journal | last1 = Midani |first1=S |last2=Rathore |first2=M |s2cid=37485951 | title = Chromobacterium violaceum infection | journal = South Med J | volume = 91 | issue = 5 | pages = 464–466 | year = 1998 | pmid = 9598856 | doi = 10.1097/00007611-199805000-00011}} Though the bacteria is reported to be resistant to first generation cephalosporins, susceptibility to the newer cephalosporins is variable.{{cite book|last1=Howard|first1=AJ|last2=Ison|first2=CA|editor1-last=Collee|editor1-first=JG|editor2-last=Fraser|editor2-first=AG|editor3-last=Marmion|editor3-first=BP|editor4-last=Simmons|editor4-first=A|title=Mackie and McCartney Practical Medical Microbiology|date=1996|publisher=Churchill Livingstone|location=New York|pages=329–41|edition=14th|language=en|chapter=Haemophilus, Gardnerella and other bacilli}}

The complete genome was sequenced and the results were published in 2003. C. violaceum type strain ATCC 12472 was found to have 4,751,080 base pairs with a G + C content of 64.83% and 4,431 ORFs.

{{Reflist|2}}

• [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?mode=Info&id=536 Chromobacterium violaceum] at the NCBI Taxonomy Browser
• [http://bacdive.dsmz.de/index.php?search=10449&submit=Search Type strain of Chromobacterium violaceum] at BacDive, the Bacterial Diversity Metadatabase

{{Gram-negative proteobacterial diseases}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q3498295}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chromobacterium Violaceum}}

Category:Neisseriales

Category:Bacteria described in 1872