Microbiological Organisms Causing Sepsis in Severe Hematological Diseases

Abstract

All of the blood cultures in febrile patients with severe hematological diseases who were admitted to Jichi Medical School hospital were reviewed. From January 1978 to March 1986, except the months from July to November in 1980 (because total sample numbers were unknown), 2688 blood samples were cultured. Among them 287 samples (10.7%) were microbiologically documented. Positive cultures were found in 9.8% (228/2318) in venous blood, 14.4% (29/202) in arterial blood and 71.1% (27/38) in postmortem cardiac blood. Three hundred twenty three microbiological organisms were documented during this period including the 1980 July to November period and the details were as follows; gram-negative bacilli 58.8%, gram-positive organisms 29.4%, anaerobic bacteria 3.4% and fungus 8.4%.
The most common organisms causing sepsis were Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Enterobacter cloacae, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus aureus and Candida Spp..
Although gram-negative bacilli were responsible for the majority of sepsis, their incidence has been decreasing since 1982.