title: Streptococcus viridans septicaemia: a comparison study in patients admitted to the departments of infectious diseases and haematology in a university hospital.
abstract: Infective endocarditis caused by viridans streptococci is a well-described disease. Streptococcus viridans is also an important etiologic agent causing septicaemia in neutropenic patients with haematological diseases. In this study we retrospectively reviewed charts from 111 patients with 121 episodes of viridans streptococci septicaemia during the period 1992-97 for clinical data, presence of endocarditis, subtype and outcome. Forty-seven episodes of S. viridans septicaemia were documented in 45 non-neutropenic patients treated at the Department of Infectious Diseases (Group A). Thirty of these episodes were defined as definite and 9 as possible infective endocarditis, using Duke's critera. Seventy-four episodes of S. viridans septicaemia were identified in 66 patients treated at the Department of Haematology (Group B), only 1 of which fulfilled the criteria for possible infective endocarditis. S. sanguis was the most common subtype (18/47; 38%) in Group A and S. mitis was the major subtype (51/74; 69%) in Group B.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Huddinge University Hospital, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. Katarina.Westling@medhs.ki.se
authors.forename: Katarina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Westling
authors.forename: Per
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ljungman
authors.forename: Anders
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Thalme
authors.forename: Inger
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Julander
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000145:classification / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016470:Bacteremia / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality; D004351:Drug Resistance; D017548:Echocardiography, Transesophageal / Q000379:methods; D004697:Endocarditis, Bacterial / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006402:Hematologic Diseases / Q000145:classification / Q000382:microbiology; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009503:Neutropenia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality; D034363:Viridans Streptococci / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents