title: Fulminating bacteremia and pneumonia due to Bacillus cereus.
abstract: We present two cases of rapidly progressing, fatal pneumonia caused by Bacillus cereus. These cases are interesting in that B. cereus, even from blood or sputum specimens, may often be considered a contaminant and receive inadequate attention. Also of interest was the fact that the two patients resided in the same area of the state, were welders by trade, and became ill within a few days of each other, yet there was no epidemiologic link between them.
authors.affiliation: Hospital Infections Program, National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Hair
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hebert
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hebert
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.forename: R S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Weyant
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016863:Bacillaceae Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D001409:Bacillus cereus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016470:Bacteremia / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000382:microbiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018410:Pneumonia, Bacterial / Q000382:microbiology*; D013183:Sputum / Q000382:microbiology