title: Corynebacterium CDC group JK (Corynebacterium jeikeium) sepsis in haematological patients: a report of three cases and a systematic literature review.
abstract: We describe 3 patients with Corynebacterium jeikeium sepsis in neutropenic phase during treatment for acute myeloid leukaemia. Fever was the first symptom. All had a central venous catheter which was removed. Two patients developed subcutaneous nodules containing pus when the neutrophil count recovered; 1 had intracutaneous and pulmonary lesions. They were treated with vancomycin and recovered when the neutrophil count started to rise. A review of 80 neutropenic patients with C. jeikeium sepsis reported in the literature, together with our 3 cases indicates that risk factors for infection are the presence of a central venous catheter, being an adult male or postmenopausal female, profound and prolonged neutropenia and exposure to multiple antibiotics. Skin lesions are reported in 48% and pulmonary lesions in 36% of the patients. The overall mortality is 34% but in patients with recovery of the bone marrow only 5%. Therefore haematopoietic growth factors should be considered in neutropenic patients with C. jeikeium infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: van der Lelie
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Leverstein-Van Hall
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mertens
authors.forename: H C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: van Zaanen
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: van Oers
authors.forename: B L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: von dem Borne
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Kuijper
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016470:Bacteremia / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D003352:Corynebacterium / Q000145:classification* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003354:Corynebacterium Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016867:Immunocompromised Host; D015470:Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009503:Neutropenia / Q000150:complications; D011379:Prognosis
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents