title: Fungemia in patients with leukemia.
abstract: A nine-year retrospective study on fungemia in patients with leukemia was conducted. A total of 79 episodes of fungemia in 77 patients with leukemia were documented. Candida parapsilosis fungemia was associated more frequently with the presence of a central venous line and to the use of parenteral nutrition than the other fungal species (p = 0.00026 and p = 0.01, respectively). The same fungus was isolated from both blood and surveillance cultures in 95% of Candida albicans and in 89% of Candida tropicalis fungemia (p < 0.01 and p = 0.02, respectively). The neutropenia and fungus colonization that resulted was associated significantly with the presence of invasive disease (p = 0.0024 and p = 0.0028, respectively). Conversely, central venous catheterization and parenteral nutrition appeared to be associated with episodes without deep tissue invasion (p = 0.000037 and p = 0.001, respectively). Invasive mycosis due to the fungus isolated from blood was documented in 51 patients with a mortality rate of 69%, whereas in 20 patients without invasive mycosis, mortality rate was 21% (p = 0.000059). In patients with fungemia, related or unrelated to the presence of a central venous catheter, mortality was 24% and 64%, respectively (p = 0.00042). Mortality was highest with C. tropicalis (p = 0.0017) and lowest with C. parapsilosis (p = 0.057). Severe neutropenia (polymorphonuclears < 100/mmc) appeared associated with a higher mortality rate (p = 0.012), whereas the recovery of neutropenia was related adversely to a fatal outcome (p < 0.01). With antifungal therapy, there was no statistically significant difference whether antifungal therapy was given or not.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Biopathology in Hematology, University La Sapienza, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Martino
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Girmenia
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Micozzi
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Raccah
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gentile
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Venditti
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mandelli
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016470:Bacteremia / Q000150:complications; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D016469:Fungemia / Q000209:etiology* / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007938:Leukemia / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000401:mortality; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors