title: Candidemia in acute leukemia patients.
abstract: Fungal infections are an important cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with acute leukemia (AL). Candidemia, once rare, is now a common nosocomial infection because of the intensity of chemotherapy, prolonged neutropenia, administration of broad-spectrum antibiotics and use of central venous catheters (CVC). We retrospectively identified patients treated for AL from 6/86 to 6/95 who also had candidemia. We describe 28 patients (incidence 6.3%) with a median age of 39 years, 24 of whom were on remission induction and 4 on postremission chemotherapy. All patients had CVC and empiric antimicrobial therapy, 4 had been given prophylactic antifungal drugs, and 2 had parenteral nutrition. Neutropenia was profound (median leukocyte nadir 200/microliters, median duration 19 days). Candida was isolated in blood cultures 10 days (median) after the start of neutropenia. The clinical presentation included fever (100%), respiratory symptoms (71.4%), skin lesions (39.2%) and septic shock (17.8%). Amphotericin B was given to 17 patients and liposomal amphotericin to 5 patients. Infection resolved in 18 patients (64.2%). 10 of whom were in complete remission. Mortality from candidemia was 17.8% (5/28). In conclusion, fungal infections are responsible for death in a significant number of patients. In our series treatment success was related to its rapid onset and to the recovery of neutropenia.
authors.affiliation: Unidade de Hematologia, Hospital dos Capuchos, Lisboa, Portugal.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.forename: A B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Sousa
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Nunes
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Aveiro
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Fernandes
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gouveia
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D002177:Candidiasis / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D015984:Causality; D005260:Female; D016469:Fungemia / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D016867:Immunocompromised Host; D015994:Incidence; D007938:Leukemia / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors