Clinical and bacteriological investigations were carried out on 48 cases of bacteremia at Nagasaki University Hospital during the period from July, 1968 to December, 1973.
The results were as follows:
1) A total of sixty strains were isolated. Among these, 44 (73.3 per cent) were aerobic or facultatively anaerobic gram-negative bacilli, 10 (16.7 per cent) were gram-positive cocci and 6. (10 per cent) were anaerobes.
Klebsiella aerogenes was most frequently isolated from the cases of gram-negative bacilli bacteremia followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and Enterobacter in order. From gram-positive cocci bacteremia cases, a-streptococcus was isolated predominantly.
Gram-negative bacilli bacteremia, especially P. aeruginosa bacteremia had a tendency to increase in number in recent years.
In 8 cases (16.7%) of the total, two or more pathogenic organisms were isolated from the same individuals.
2) Among underlying diseases of the 48 cases, fatal haematological disorders and cancers occupied 43.8 per cent of the total. Others were renal diseases, post-operative status, diabetes mellitus and e.t.c.
3) Twenty-four cases out of the 48 (50%) were dead. Most of them had gram-negative bacilli infection. Thirty one per cent of them were dead due to the infection within 7 days after the detection of the bacteremia and 14.6 per cent of them within 3 days. The mortality rate of the bacteremia cases due to P. aeruginosa, K. aerogenes and E. coli was over 70. per cent.
All of 8 subacute bacterial endocarditis cases due to a-streptococcus or Peptostreptococcus and 4 out of 5 cases of typhoid fever recovered.
4) The portals of entry of the organisms were obscure in many cases. But, in the detected cases they were mainly the hepato-billiary tract, the urinary tract and the operations wound.
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