Freshwater Wound Infection Due to Aeromonas hydrophila

Abstract

<i>AEROMONAS hydrophila</i>is a Gramnegative bacillus, member of the family Vibrionaceae, which is a common inhabitant of freshwater lakes and streams.^1-4It is not commonly identified as an agent of human infection. Most reports have described gastroenteritis, septicemia, meningitis, pneumonia, or surgical wound infections, primarily in immunocompromised patients.^1,4-8 Infections of immunologically competent persons have been rare. We report a well-documented case of severe cellulitis in a previously healthy young man that derived from a laceration acquired during swimming.<i>Aeromonas hydrophila</i>was recovered in large numbers from the wound and was subsequently shown to be the major bacterial contaminant of the freshwater lake where the injury occurred. The clinical features of<i>Aeromonas</i>infections of freshwater traumatic wounds suggest a characteristic syndrome, indistinguishable from cellulitis caused by group A<i>Streptococcus</i>. <h3>Report of a Case</h3> A 22-year-old man sustained a full-thickness scalp laceration while diving in shallow water in Lake Mendota,