Acute exacerbation of chronic suppurative otitis media by Vibrio cholerae O39 – A case report

Abstract

Vibrio cholerae is gram-negative bacilli belonging to the Vibrionaceae family generally found in brackish and marine water. Based on the O antigen on the cell wall of the bacteria, they are divided into three major subgroups – V. cholerae O1, V. cholerae O139, and V. cholerae non-O1/non-O139. The serogroups O1 and O139 harboring cholera toxin gene cause diarrhea, while the non-O1/non-O139 can cause a milder diarrhea and extraintestinal infections. We report a case of acute exacerbation of chronic suppurative otitis media by V. cholerae O39, which is classified in the non-O1/non-O139 group. The patient presented with slowly progressive painful ear discharge which evolved over a period of 3 months. V. cholerae O39 was isolated from the ear discharge by culture and confirmed by serologic and molecular testing. The patient improved symptomatically with 1 week of treatment with intravenous ciprofloxacin and tobramycin ear drops.