Protracted Bacteremia and Meningitis Due to Vibrio Fetus

Abstract

Meningitis with bacteremia due to<i>Vibrio fetus</i>has not hitherto been reported in the English literature, although one such case is reported from France.¹Interest in our case arises from the fact that protracted bacteremia (more than two months) and positive spinal fluid (one month) were observed in a patient who at the time had relatively little to show objectively. This case was observed in the summer of 1955, and the organism was studied by ourselves and others for two years until a reading of Spink's article²on human vibriosis sparked our thinking. As a result the organism was sent to Miss Elizabeth King^3,4of the Communicable Disease Center in Atlanta who confirmed its identity as<i>V fetus</i>, and who kindly carried out the serological studies. This is a report of the case. <h3>Report of Case</h3> This was the first admission of a 55-year-old machinist to the