title: Yeasts in blood cultures: impact of early therapy.
abstract: Patients with growth of yeast in blood cultures were analyzed during the 6-year-period 1981-1986, with special regard to predisposing factors, mortality, severity of the disease and therapy. There were 80 isolations of yeasts in blood cultures in 39 patients and Candida albicans was the most common. The majority of the patients in the material had multiple predisposing factors. The overall mortality was 58%. Patients with d disseminated disease had a mortality of 79% in contrast to 32% in patients with transient fungemia. Disseminated disease was more common in surgical patients. The prognosis of patients treated within 4 days from the onset of septic symptoms was significantly better than that of patients with a later start of therapy. On the basis of these results we emphasize the importance of early empiric therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University Central Hospital of Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rantala
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Niinikoski
authors.forename: O P
authors.initials: OP
authors.lastname: Lehtonen
mesh_terms: D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001769:Blood / Q000382:microbiology*; D002175:Candida / Q000032:analysis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002177:Candidiasis / Q000188:drug therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009181:Mycoses / Q000188:drug therapy*; D018805:Sepsis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D013997:Time Factors; D015003:Yeasts / Q000302:isolation & purification*
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents