First report of Vibrio cholerae O9, novel st520, isolated from a child with bacteraemia-associated sepsis.

ABSTRACT

Vibrios have been identified to cause extra-intestinal complications apart from the occasional cholera-like diarrhoeal outbreaks. The non-O1/O139 Vibrio cholerae strains are ubiquitous in environmental water bodies and hence pose a threat to people even without obvious risk factors. We describe a case of sepsis in a child with spinal dysraphism caused by a V. cholerae O9 strain belonging to a novel sequence type (ST520). The present case highlights the need of considering V. cholerae non-O1/O139 as one of the pathogens while dealing with sepsis cases, and also, the study expounds the importance of proper characterisation of the pathogen for an effective treatment.