Bacteremia and fungemia in pediatric versus adult cancer patients after chemotherapy: comparison of etiology, risk factors and outcome.

One hundred and eighteen (118) episodes of bacteremia and fungemia in children with cancer were compared to 401 episodes of bacteremia and fungemia in adults with cancer to assess differences in etiology, risk factors and outcome. A retrospective univariate analysis was performed of all episodes of bacteremia in national pediatric and adult cancer institutions appearing in 1990-1996. A total of 519 episodes of bacteremia were assessed and compared. Both cancer centers differed in prophylactic antibiotic policies. About 50% of adults but less than 5% of children received quinolone prophylaxis during neutropenia, even though the empiric antibiotic therapeutic strategy was similar. There were differences in etiology between the groups: staphylococci and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia were more frequently observed in children (P<0.01), Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter spp. in adults (P<0.05). Gram-positive bacteremia was surprisingly more commonly observed in adults (65.7% vs 33.3%, P<0.01). Mixed polymicrobial bacteremia occurred more commonly in adults (31.8% vs 7.6%, P<0.001) than in children. Analysis of risk factors did not observe differences in risk factors except for underlying disease (acute leukemia was more frequently observed in children -48.3% vs adults 33.7%, P<0.05 and prophylaxis: (prior prophylaxis with quinolones was more common in adults (47.5%) than in children (2.5%) P<0.0001). Overall and attributable mortality in pediatric bacteremia was significantly lower than in adults (P<0.03).

Analysis of 553 episodes of monomicrobial bacteraemia in cancer patients: any association between risk factors and outcome to particular pathogen?

Relationships between aetiology, various risk factors (such as neutropenia, catheter insertion, endoscopy, therapy with corticosteroids, therapeutic use of antimicrobials, antibiotic prophylaxis, source of infection), symptomatology and outcome were studied in 553 monomicrobial bacteraemic episodes in cancer patients observed within 7 years at the National Cancer Institute of the Slovak Republic. The ratio of gram-positive to gram-negative bacteraemia was 1:1 (43.5% vs 43.8%), and yeasts caused 7.2% of monomicrobial episodes. The highest mortality was associated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa (19.2%), non-albicans Candida yeasts (25%) and Bacteroides fragilis (22.6%). Independent risk factors for particular pathogens were investigated by a computerized logistic regression model. The only independent risk factor for staphylococcal and enterococcal bacteraemia was vascular catheter insertion (OR = 1.95 and 2.05, CI = 95%, P = 0.035 and 0.044, respectively). However, there were no independent specific risk significant factors for viridans streptococcal bacteraemia and bacteraemia due to Enterobacteriaceae or Ps. aeruginosa. Neutropenia was found to be an independent predictor for development of Acinetobacter spp. bacteraemia (OR = 3.84, CI = 95%, P = 0.044). Prior therapy with third-generation cephalosporines was a predictive, independent risk factor for the development of fungaemia (OR = 1.99, CI = 95%, P = 0.028) but not of enterococcal bacteraemia. We also did not observe any association between prior therapy with imipenem and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia bacteraemias. Multivariate analysis confirmed that fungaemia may be independently associated with higher mortality than bacteraemia caused by Enterobacteriaceae and staphylococci. However, the mortality of fungaemia was statistically no different from that of Ps. aeruginosa, Stenotrophomonas spp. and viridans streptococci bacteraemias.

Bacteremia due to Enterobacter spp. in cancer patients--analysis of 51 episodes.

Fifty one episodes of bacteremia due to Enterobacter spp. appearing within 7 years among 12 301 admissions in a single cancer institution were studied for risk factors, clinical presentation and outcome. Fifteen episodes were due to Enterobacter aerogenes, 23 due to E. cloacae and 13 due to E. agglomerans. The proportion of bacteremia due to Enterobacter spp. among Gram-negative bacteremias was 10.1% and infection associated mortality was 13.8%. The incidence in 1989-1995 varied from 3.7 to 8.7% and was relatively stable. Most common risk factors were: solid tumors as underlying disease, central venous catheter insertion, prior surgery and prior chemotherapy within 48 h. Neutropenia and urinary catheters were not at high risk in either one of the patients subgroups. Comparing two subgroups of 51 bacteremias, monomicrobial and polymicrobial (when Enterobacter spp. was isolated from blood culture with other microorganism), previous chemotherapy, vascular catheter insertion and prior endoscopy were more frequently associated with polymicrobial Enterobacter spp. bacteremia. There was also differences in infection associated mortality: bacteremias due to Enterobacter spp. only had significantly lower mortality in comparison to polymicrobial Enterobacter spp. bacteremias (3.3 vs. 29.3%; P<0.02). Susceptibility of Enterobacter spp. strains isolated from 51 episodes was stable and showed only two episodes due to quinolone-resistant strains, both in 1992 despite of the use of ofloxacin in prophylaxis of neutropenic patients since 1990 in our institute. Ninety-two to 94% of all strains were susceptible to aminoglycosides, 96-98% to ofloxacin and ciprofloxacin, respectively and 94.9% to meropenem but only 75.5% to ceftazidime.

Viridans streptococcal bacteraemia due to penicillin-resistant and penicillin-sensitive streptococci: analysis of risk factors and outcome in 60 patients from a single cancer centre before and after penicillin is used for prophylaxis.

60 patients with 60 viridans streptococcal bacteraemic episodes (42 due to penicillin-sensitive and 18 due to penicillin-resistant viridans streptococci) were analysed in a population of 12,185 admissions and 1,380 bacteraemic episodes during a 7-year period in a National Cancer Institute. The incidence of viridans streptococci among bacteraemias decreased from 11.5% in 1989 to 2.5% in 1995 after penicillin was introduced for prophylaxis of febrile neutropenia in acute leukaemia in 1993. However, the proportion of penicillin-resistant viridans streptococcal bacteraemias increased from 0 in 1989 and 1990 before any prophylaxis was given, to 12.9-16.7% after quinolones were used for prophylaxis in 1991 and 1992, and to 44.4-81.8% in 1993-1995 after penicillin was added to the quinolones. Mortality rate was higher in the subgroup of penicillin-resistant viridans streptococcal bacteraemias (p < 0.05). Statistically significant risk factors in patients with penicillin-resistant (compared with penicillin-sensitive) viridans streptococcal bacteraemia were: acute leukaemia (p < 0.03), high doses of cytarabine (p < 0.05), mucocutaneous lesions (p < 0.004), breakthrough bacteraemia during prophylaxis with ofloxacine plus penicillin (p < 0.001). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that only acute leukaemia (OR 2.05, CI 0.85-1.85, p < 0.00452) and penicillin-resistance (OR 0.71, CI 0.103-4.887, p < 0.0209) were significant independent predictors of inferior outcome. Breakthrough bacteraemia during empiric therapy with vancomycine occurred in 5 of 116 patients treated with vancomycine, and during therapy with ampicillin plus gentamicin in 6 patients of 18 treated.

Etiology of bacteraemia in patients with various malignancies: is there association between certain antineoplastic drugs and microorganism?

The authors studied a relationship between particular bacterial or fungal organisms isolated from blood cultures and type of malignancy and antineoplastic drugs in 237 cancer patients. Sixty four had acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), 43 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) and 140 solid tumors (ST). All patients had at least one positive blood cultures for one or more microorganism drawn during 1-10 days after cytotoxic chemotherapy, viridans streptococcal bacteremia was more frequently observed in patients with AML (12.5%) and NHL (27.9%) than ST (43%, p < 0.01 and 0.03). The incidence of anaerobic bacteria was similar in patients with NHL and ST, and in both groups significantly higher (p < 0.05) than in AML. Enterobacteriaceae caused bacteremia less frequently in patients with AML than in those with ST (12.5 vs 27.8%, p < 0.05). However, the highest incidence of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia bacteremia was seen in patients with AML (6.3% vs 2.3%, p < 0.04 and 0.03). Concerning fungemia, Candida albicans occurred significantly more frequently in blood cultures in patients with NHL, and molds in patients with AML. Cytarabine and metothrexate seems to be more frequently associated with viridans streptococci, cytarabine and mitoxanthrone with Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, B. fragilis with cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil, Fusarium spp., Mucorales and Aspergillus spp. with acute leukaemia (AL) treated with cytarabine and mitoxantrone. The association of other pathogens with an underlying disease or chemotherapeutic regimen could not be documented. (Tab. 1, Ref. 19.).

Diagnostic importance of heterophile antibodies and immunoglobulins IgA, IgE, IgM and low-avidity IgG against Epstein-Barr virus capsid antigen in children.

The use of several serological markers in diagnostics of acute Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection in children and adolescents is recommended. We investigated the sera of 299 individuals with clinically suspect infectious mononucleosis for heterophile antibodies and EBV viral capsid antigen (VCA)-specific immunoglobulins IgA, IgE, IgM and low-avidity IgG. Heterophile antibodies were positive in 26%, VCA-specific IgA in 30%, IgE in 35%, IgM in 32% and low-avidity IgG in 37% of cases. The acute EBV infection defined as a case having either positive IgM or heterophile antibodies was present in 40% of persons. Compared with regard to this criterion the sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of individual tests were as follows: heterophile antibodies-66, 100, 100 and 82%; IgA-53, 84, 69 and 73%; IgE-54, 78, 62 and 72%; IgM-81, 100, 100 and 89% low-avidity IgG-66, 82, 71 and 78%. All markers except heterophile antibodies were positive even infants aged below 2 years. We consider the detection of low-avidity IgG and VCA-specific IgE an useful adjunct for the diagnostics of acute EBV infection in children.

[IgA antibodies against Epstein-Barr virus capsid antigen]. / Protilátky trídy iga proti kapsidovému antigenu viru Epsteina-Barrové.

The authors describe infection with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) which is associated with the formation of various types of antibodies--heterophil (HP) antibodies as well as antibodies against individual EBV antigens. They evaluate the contribution of a recently elaborated and introduced method used for detection of antibodies against the capsid antigen of the EBV class IgA (anti-VCA IgA) by indirect immunofluorescence to the diagnosis of acute and chronic EBV infections. Anti-VCA IgA are useful in the diagnosis of EBV infections if the patient has no longer HP and anti-VCA IgM, but only anti-VCA IgG. If, however, in addition to anti-VCA IgA also anti-VCA IgA are present, their presence can be the only detectable sign of a recent EBV infection and also a sign of reactivation of chronic EBV infection.