Desulfovibrio

• Genus of anaerobic sulfate-reducing Gram-negative bacilli
• Ubiquitous environmental organisms, including soil, water, and sewage
• Includes a number of species, of which 5 have been isolated from clinical specimens:
  • Desulfovibrio desulfuricans, the most common pathogen in the genus
  • Desulfovibrio fairfieldensis, possibly the most virulent
  • Desulfovibrio vulgaris
  • Desulfovibrio piger
  • Desulfovibrio legallii

Clinical Manifestations

• Often hepatobiliary infections in elderly men

Management

• Can produce beta-lactamases
• Has been previously treated successfully with doxycycline, cefuroxime, ceftriaxone, clarithromycin, piperacillin-tazobactam, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid

Further Reading

• Desulfovibrio desulfuricans bacteremia: A case report and literature review. Anaerobe. 2018;49:112-115. doi: 10.1016/j.anaerobe.2017.12.013