Case Report
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2021. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Cases. Feb 16, 2021; 9(5): 1210-1214
Published online Feb 16, 2021. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v9.i5.1210
Spontaneous small bowel perforation secondary to Vibrio parahaemolyticus infection: A case report
Shih-Chun Chien, Chih-Chung Chang, Shih-Chao Chien
Shih-Chun Chien, Shih-Chao Chien, Department of Emergency Medicine, Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taipei 104, Taiwan
Chih-Chung Chang, Department of Emergency Medicine, Taitung Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taitung 950, Taiwan
Author contributions: Chien SC was responsible for the concept and design of the study and critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content; Chien SC and Chang CC drafted the manuscript.
Informed consent statement: Informed written consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this report and any accompanying images.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Shih-Chao Chien, MD, Staff Physician, Department of Emergency Medicine, Mackay Memorial Hospital, No. 92 Sec. 2 Zhongshan N. Rd, Zhongshan District, Taipei 104, Taiwan. phantom859958@gmail.com
Received: November 17, 2020
Peer-review started: November 17, 2020
First decision: December 8, 2020
Revised: December 21, 2020
Accepted: January 7, 2021
Article in press: January 7, 2021
Published online: February 16, 2021
Processing time: 65 Days and 22 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Vibrio pararhaemolyticus (V. parahaemolyticus), a pathogen that commonly causes gastroenteritis, could potentially lead to a pandemic in Asia. Its pathogenesis and molecular mechanisms vary, and the severity of illness can be diverse, ranging from mild gastroenteritis, requiring only supportive care, to sepsis.

CASE SUMMARY

We outline a case of a 71-year-old female who experienced an acute onset of severe abdominal tenderness after two days of vomiting and diarrhea prior to her emergency department visit. A small bowel perforation was diagnosed using computed tomography. The ascites cultured revealed infection due to V. parahaemolyticus

CONCLUSION

Our case is the first reported case of V. parahaemolyticus-induced gastroenteritis resulting in small bowel perforation.

Keywords: Vibrio parahaemolyticus; Gastroenteriti; Small bowel perforation; Bacteria; Infections; Case report

Core Tip: Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a pathogen commonly associated with gastroenteritis following the consumption of seafood. Aside from supportive treatment with hydration and oral antibiotics, clinicians must be aware of the possible complication of acute abdomen which may require surgical intervention.