Postgrad Med J 1999;75:565-567
( September )
Self-assessment questions
Diarrhoea, fever, shock and bullous skin lesions after ingestion
of raw oysters
A Vaz, V R Singh, D B Wisinger, M Moffitt
Department of
Medicine, Maricopa Medical Center, Phoenix, AZ 85008, USA
Correspondence to: Austin Vaz, New England Medical Center,
Tufts, 750 Washington Street, Box 406, Boston, MA 02111 USA
Accepted 18 February
1999
| The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below. |
 |
Introduction |
A 38-year-old man presented to the emergency
department with a 2-day history of cramping abdominal pain, severe
vomiting, diarrhoea, and fever with chills. He reported eating a large
quantity of raw oysters at a local restaurant, one day prior to the
onset of symptoms. The patient had a significant history of daily
alcohol consumption (12 cans of beer and one bottle of wine) for many years. On examination, the patient appeared toxic, with a systolic blood pressure of 90 mmHg, pulse of 116 beats/min, respiration rate of
22 breaths/min and an oral temperature of 39°C. Right basal crackles
were present on auscultation of the chest. Cardiovascular examination
showed tachycardia with normal heart sounds. Abdominal examination
revealed a tense abdomen without evidence of ascites, with diffuse
tenderness and hyperactive bowel sounds. The patient's skeletal
muscles were tender to palpation and movement. Joint examination
revealed no evidence of synovitis. A few hours after admission,
multiple 1-2 . . . [Full text of this article]
