A novel case of Vibrio bacteremia in an immune-competent patient

Vibrio Cholera, a gram negative bacterium, is notoriously known to cause diarrheal epidemics. The serotypes O1 and O139 are mainly responsible for the diarrheal outbreaks due to the enterotoxin they produce. This enterotoxin however seems to be protective against bacteremia and hence bacteremia is rarely encountered. We report a case of an immune-competent young female who initially presented with hypokalemic periodic paralysis secondary to acute on chronic diarrhea. She was discharged after rehydration and bounced back in septic shock and her blood cultures grew Vibrio Cholera identified on Vitek. She succumbed to this organism within 24 hours of re-admission.