Enteric infections.
Cancer patients, particularly those with neutropenia, are at risk for enteric and intra-abdominal infections. Specific infections and infectious syndromes in this setting include neutropenic enterocolitis, bacterial infections such as Clostridium difficile infection (CDI), viral infections such as CMV colitis, and parasitic infections such as strongyloidiasis. Diagnosing and gauging the severity of CDI presents challenges, as chemotherapy may produce symptoms that mimic CDI and laboratory findings such as leukocytosis are not reliable in this population. Treatment for enteric infections should be pathogen specific, although broad-spectrum antibiotics are often required as initial empiric therapy in patients with neutropenia.
Division of Infectious Diseases, Lakeland Regional Medical Center, 1234 Napier Avenue, St. Joseph, MI, 49085, USA, mwang@swmc.org.
Michael
M
Wang
Stuart
S
Johnson
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016360:Clostridioides difficile / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D003015:Clostridium Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology*; D004761:Enterocolitis, Pseudomembranous / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology*; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications*; D009503:Neutropenia / Q000150:complications*; D012307:Risk Factors
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents