Serious Complications of Bacteremia Caused by Viridans Streptococci in Neutropenic Patients with Cancer (original) (raw)

Viridans streptococcal bacteraemia in patients with haematological and solid malignancies

European journal of cancer (Oxford, England : 1990), 1991

Thirty-three episodes of septicaemia caused by viridans streptococci are reported in 32 adults under treatment for malignant diseases. The underlying diseases were acute leukaemia (17), lymphoma (4), myeloma (1), small cell carcinoma of the bronchus (6), carcinoma of the breast (2) and carcinoma of the stomach (2). Important predisposing factors included severe neutropenia and oral mucositis due to intensive chemotherapeutic regimens. There was a poor response to standard empirical antibiotics and a mortality of 12%. A role for prophylactic penicillin in high risk groups is suggested.

Bacteremia Due to Viridans Group Streptococci with Diminished Susceptibility to Levofloxacin among Neutropenic Patients Receiving Levofloxacin Prophylaxis

Clinical Infectious Diseases, 2002

Despite the use of levofloxacin prophylaxis during the neutropenic period after autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation, viridans group (VG) streptococcal bacteremia developed in 6 (16.2%) of 37 patients who underwent transplantation between 1 January and 25 February 2001 at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. All 6 patients presented with fever and mucositis after a mean of 4.5 days of neutropenia, and 3 developed septic shock. All 6 VG streptococcal isolates from these patients exhibited distinct patterns on pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. All isolates had diminished susceptibility to levofloxacin, 5 to gatifloxacin, and 4 to moxifloxacin. Quinolone resistance was associated with mutations in the quinolone resistancedetermining region of GyrA and (for 1 isolate) of ParC. The use of levofloxacin may select VG streptococci with diminished susceptibility to levofloxacin and other quinolones with enhanced activity against grampositive organisms and, therefore, may not be optimal for preventing VG streptococcal bacteremia in neutropenic patients. Viridans group (VG) streptococci are a common cause of endocarditis, bacteremia, and abscesses. In neutropenic patients, VG streptococci can translocate across damaged gastrointestinal mucosa and cause bloodstream infection that may be associated with septic shock, adult respiratory distress syndrome, or both [1-3]. Since 1990, the use of quinolones for antibacterial prophylaxis during neutropenia has become widespread [4-6]. The efficacy of quinolone prophylaxis in preventing bacteremia due to gram-negative bacteria is well

Clinical features and complications of viridans streptococci bloodstream infection in pediatric hemato-oncology patients

Journal of microbiology, immunology, and infection = Wei mian yu gan ran za zhi, 2007

Viridans streptococci (VS) are part of the normal flora of humans, but are fast emerging as pathogens causing bacteremia in neutropenic patients. The clinical features, outcomes, and antibiotic susceptibilities of VS bloodstream infections in children with hemato-oncological diseases are reported in this study. A retrospective chart review of pediatric patients (< or =18 years) diagnosed with VS infections between January 1998 and December 2004 was conducted at the National Taiwan University Hospital. Among the 26 episodes noted in 25 pediatric patients, the incidence rate of VS bacteremia was found to be significantly higher in pediatric patients with acute myeloid leukemia compared with other hemato-oncological conditions. Most of the patients had profound neutropenia related to chemotherapy for a median of 5 days on the day of positive blood culture. Eight of the 25 patients had undergone stem cell transplantations. Streptococcus mitis was the most common bloodstream isolate a...

Viridans streptococci bacteraemia in children with fever and neutropenia: a case–control study of predisposing factors

European Journal of Cancer, 2003

Viridans streptococci (VS) are an increasing cause of bacteraemia in neutropenic patients with cancer. Case-control studies of predisposing factors for acquisition of this infection in children are not published. Between January 1989 and December 1999, 168 episodes of bacteraemia in 161 children with fever and neutropenia of haemato-oncology origin were analysed. 15 cases (9%) in 15 patients were caused by VS. Each case patient was compared with 6 matched control patients; 2 with other Gram-positive cocci (group 2), 2 with gram-negative bacilli bacteraemia (group 3) and two children with fever and neutropenia without bacteraemia (group 4). The median age of patients was 4.1 years (range: 2-15 years). 87% of children had acute leukaemia or lymphomas. Pneumonia was the predominant clinical focus (70%). Shock was observed in 13% of patients. ARDS was observed in one child who died of this complication. Multivariate analysis of risk factors for the development of VS bacteraemia showed that two factors were independent predictors: high doses of cytosine-arabinoside (ARA-C) as part of the chemotherapy treatment (Odds Ratio (OR): 9.3; Confidence Interval (CI) 1.56-55.5) (P< 0.014) and the presence of pneumonia (OR: 1.36: CI 2.27-81.9) (P< 0.0043). We propose that further studies are warranted to confirm these results. #

Microbiology and clinical characteristics of viridans group streptococci in patients with cancer

The Brazilian Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2018

This study assessed the microbiology, clinical syndromes, and outcomes of oncologic patients with viridans group streptococci isolated from blood cultures between January 1st, 2013 and December 31st, 2016 in a referral hospital in Mexico using the Bruker MALDI Biotyper. Antimicrobial sensitivity was determined using BD Phoenix 100 according to CLSI M100 standards. Clinical information was obtained from medical records and descriptive analysis was performed. Forty-three patients were included, 22 females and 21 males, aged 42 ± 17 years. Twenty (46.5%) patients had hematological cancer and 23 (53.5%) a solid malignancy. The viridans group streptococci isolated were Streptococcus mitis, 20 (46.5%); Streptococcus anginosus,1 4 (32.6%); Streptococcus sanguinis, 7 (16.3%); and Streptococcus salivarius, 2 (4.7%). The main risk factors were pyrimidine antagonist chemotherapy in 22 (51.2%) and neutropenia in 19 (44.2%) cases, respectively. Central line associated bloodstream infection was diagnosed in 18 (41.9%) cases. Septic shock occurred in 20.9% of patients, with an overall mortality of 18.6%. Only four S. mitis revealed penicillin-resistance. Our results are similar to those of other series, identifying these bacteria as emerging pathogens with significant morbidity and mortality in oncologic patients. The MALDI-TOF system increased the rate of viridans group streptococci isolation in this population.

In vitro activities of eight macrolide antibiotics and RP-59500 (quinupristin-dalfopristin) against viridans group streptococci isolated from blood of neutropenic cancer patients

Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy, 1996

From January 1988 to December 1994, 66 consecutive blood culture isolates of viridans group streptococci collected from febrile neutropenic cancer patients were tested for antimicrobial susceptibilities by the agar dilution method. The antibiotics studied were erythromycin, clarithromycin, roxithromycin, dirithromycin, azithromycin, josamycin, diacetyl-midecamycin, spiramycin, and quinupristin-dalfopristin. A total of 26 (39.4%) strains were resistant to erythromycin with an MIC range of 0.5 to > 128 micrograms/ml. The strains were classified into three groups according to their penicillin susceptibility: 42 (63.6%) were susceptible, 8 (12.1%) were intermediately resistant, and 16 (24.3%) were highly resistant. The percentages of erythromycin-resistant strains in each group were 23.8, 62.5, and 68.8%, respectively. Streptococcus mitis was the species most frequently isolated (83.3%) and showed the highest rates of penicillin (40%) and erythromycin (43.6%) resistance. MICs of all ...

The Role of Corticosteroids in Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome caused by Viridans Group Streptococci Bacteremia in Neutropenic Patients

Mediterranean Journal of Hematology and Infectious Diseases, 2014

IntroductionDuring the last decades, gram-positive bacteremia has increased dramatically. Gram-positive cocci are the most frequent cause of nosocomial bloodstream infections. Among Gram-positive cocci, Viridans streptococci are a common cause of bacteremia in cancer patients with neutropenia, causing serious complications such as pneumonia, septic shock, and ARDS [1-6]. We present a series of cases of VGS bacteremia complicated with ARDS; early initiation of corticosteroids resulted in complete recovery.Materials and MethodsA retrospective chart review of patients with hematologic malignancy diagnosed with VGS bacteremia admitted to the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida between 1/1/2001 and 4/1/2012 was completed. Data was collected about respiratory symptoms, diagnosis of adult respiratory syndrome, results of blood cultures, medications received and outcome.ResultsIn this study, 70 cases of VGS bacteremia in neutropenic patients were reviewed. The most common adverse event...

Bacteraemia in febrile neutropenic cancer patients

International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents, 2007

A total of 2142 patients with febrile neutropenia resulting from cancer chemotherapy were registered in two observational studies and followed prospectively in different institutions. There were 499 (23%) patients with bacteraemia who are reviewed here. The relative frequencies of Gram-positive, Gram-negative and polymicrobial bacteraemias were 57%, 34% and 10% with respective mortality rates of 5%, 18% and 13%. Mortality rates were significantly higher in bacteraemic patients than in non-bacteraemic patients; a trend for higher mortality was observed (without reaching statistical significance) in those patients in whom bacteraemia was associated with a clinical site of infection compared to bacteraemic patients without any clinical documentation.