title: Pneumococcal bacteremia diagnosed by peripheral blood smear in multiple myeloma.
abstract: A patient with multiple myeloma and a normal spleen died with high-grade pneumococcal bacteremia diagnosed by routine examination of a Wright-stained peripheral blood smear. In earlier reports, this finding has been described only in patients with abnormal or absent spleens. We review the proposed mechanisms of high-grade pneumococcal bacteremia in these patients and the immunologic abnormalities in patients with multiple myeloma that may result in increased susceptibility to this infection.
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009101:Multiple Myeloma / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*; D011008:Pneumococcal Infections / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D018805:Sepsis / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology