[Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteremia associated with hematologic disorders [I]. Predisposing factors and clinical manifestations].

We experienced 57 episodes of Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteremia in 55 patients with hematologic disorders in a 16-year period. Ninety-five percent of the patients had hematologic malignancies such as acute leukemia. All but one patient received cytotoxic or immunosuppressive therapy at or prior to the onset of bacteremia. Seventy-seven percent of the episodes occurred during profound granulocytopenia of below 100/mm3. All the patients acquired their infection in the hospital, and 96% had received antibiotic therapy during the preceding two weeks. Periodontal, anorectal, lower respiratory tract, and urogenital infections were the sources of bacteremia in about three-quarters of the episodes. Periodontal infection tended to progress to cellulitis of the face or the floor of the mouth, often resulting in bacteremia of the unimicrobial type, while anorectal infection predisposed to abscess formation, frequently leading to bacteremia of the polymicrobial type. Cellulitis at onset was seen in 35% of the episodes. Most sites of infection did not become apparent until one to three days after the onset of fever, probably because of depressed inflammatory response associated with severe granulocytopenia. The majority of patients complained of gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and abdominal fullness at the onset of bacteremia. Major complications included bacteremic shock (63%), impaired consciousness (25%), ecthyma gangrenosum or hemorrhagic gangrenous cellulitis (18%), and jaundice (12%). Furthermore, there were one case each of endocarditis and disseminated intravascular coagulation. It was thus suggested that the clinical picture of P. aeruginosa bacteremia complicating hematologic disorders is influenced by the predisposing conditions associated with the underlying diseases and their treatment.