[A case of sepsis caused by Edwardsiella tarda complicated panophthalmitis and pyogenic spondylitis].

Edwardsiella tarda (E. tarda) is gram negative enterobacteriaceae which has been found generally in animal hosts and occasionally in human feces. We have reported a case of sepsis caused by E. tarda, complicated panophthalmitis and pyogenic spondylitis. A 39-year old patient suffered from fever, polyarthralgia and lumbago. We performed blood culture, from which E. tarda was isolated. Spinal CT scan showed destruction and osteogenesis of the fourth and fifth lumbar vertebral body and cranial CT scan showed destruction of the right lens. So we diagnosed sepsis with pyogenic spondylitis and panophthalmitis. We suspected that chronic ethanol administration reduced the resistance to infection of E. tarda which caused sepsis.