INTRODUCTION

Chromobacterium violaceum, a proteobacterium was first described in a fatal infection of a buffalo by Wooley in 1905, later in Malaysia (1927) it was reported as cause for human infection. It is a rare pathogen causing infection like sepsis with metastatic abscess, cellulitis, chronic granulomatous disease, urinary tract infection, conjunctivitis and meningitis in humans. The pathogen is Gram negative pleomorphic bacilli, common inhabitant of soil & water in tropical and subtropical countries. Less than two hundred cases have been reported worldwide. The organism is a facultative anaerobe, grows readily in ordinary medias like MacConkey agar, Muler Hinton agar following incubation at 37⁰c for 18-24 hours, produces a non diffusible violet pigment called as violacein, which cause apoptosis in tumor cell line recommended for using as chemotherapeutic agent.^(1,2) Virulent strain has greater endotoxin activity & enhanced resistance to phagocytosis leading to life threatening complication like sepsis. The organism is intrinsically resistant to penicillin & first generation cephlosporins. It is sensitive to fluoroquinolones, tetracyclines, aminoglycosides, cotrimoxazole & chloramphenicol.^(1,2,7)

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Dr Karthika Priya.S,

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