Vibrio Fetus Isolated from a Patient with Localized Septic Arthritis: Recent Evidence Suggests That This Infection Is Less Rare Than Figures Indicate

A 74-year-old man was hospitalized because of fever accompanied by a painful swelling and marked limitation of motion in the right knee. Aspiration of the joint yielded 20 cc. of serosanguineous fluid from which a culture of Vibrio fetus was obtained. Treatment with 1 gm. of chloramphenicol daily and local applications of heat were followed within 3 days by restoration of normal temperature and marked relief of local symptoms. After a week of therapy, serosanguineous fluid was again obtained by aspiration from the joint, but no further growth of Vibrio fetus was obtained. The organism is gram negative, assumes straight or curved forms up to 7μ in length, and has single polar flagella. It causes infections in animals as well as in man.