Panophthalmitis caused by Vibrio parahaemolyticus.

We report a case of Vibrio parahaemolyticus panophthalmitis which resulted from contamination of a wound with water from a pond in inland Georgia. The pond was on the property of an oil refinery which receives crude oil from southern Mississippi. Cultures of the pond water 5 years later did not yield V. parahaemolyticus, but did yield non-O1 V. cholerae and had 0.28% sodium chloride content. V. parahaemolyticus may have been introduced into the pond along with oil transported from the Gulf of Mexico, and growth of this halophilic species may have been supported by salt from spilled crude oil.