1/3. Fatal bacillus cereus sepsis following resolving neutropenic enterocolitis during the treatment of acute leukemia.bacillus cereus is increasingly being acknowledged as a serious bacterial pathogen in immunosuppressed hosts. We report a case of fatal B. cereus sepsis in a patient with newly diagnosed acute leukemia following resolving neutropenic enterocolitis. Gastrointestinal complaints are common during induction chemotherapy, yet some antimicrobial coverage suitable for generalized neutropenia is not optimal for the eradication of B. cereus. This case demonstrates that, in the neutropenic patient with gastrointestinal complaints or in the setting of resolving neutropenic enterocolitis, it is important to anticipate possible B. cereus infection and sepsis.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = leukemia (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/3. bacillus cereus pneumonia in a patient with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.Reported here is a case of bacillus cereus pneumonia that occurred in a patient with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The presentation was severe, essentially marked by respiratory distress and pleuritic chest pain. Classic empirical treatment initiated for febrile neutropenia did not cover this rare pathogen and appropriate therapy was therefore delayed. B. cereus is most often a culture contaminant, but it can also be responsible for self-limited gastrointestinal intoxication and, more rarely, severe systemic diseases. virulence in the case of systemic disease is attributed to tissue necrosis mediated by toxin release. B. cereus pneumonia, as described in the English-language literature, mainly affects immunocompromised patients and most often has a fatal outcome. Thus, the identification of B. cereus in clinical specimens of severely ill immunocompromised patients should lead physicians to question its clinical significance.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = leukemia (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/3. Fatal bacillus cereus meningoencephalitis in an adult with acute myelogenous leukemia.bacillus cereus, a ubiquitous, endospore-forming, aerobic gram-positive bacillus, is primarily associated with toxin-mediated food poisoning. Frequently, isolates of Bacillus species from clinical specimens are discussed as contaminants. We report a rapidly fatal case of disseminated infection due to B cereus in a patient receiving induction chemotherapy for M0 acute leukemia. A short clinical syndrome of nausea and vomiting preceded neurologic symptoms. autopsy showed extensive meningoencephalitis with subarachnoid hemorrhage and multiple liver abscesses. Areas of necrosis were devoid of any inflammatory response consistent with a severely immunocompromised state. The organism was isolated from immediate premortem and autopsy blood specimens. This case illustrates the possibility and severity of true B cereus infections in immunocompromised patients, the clinicopathologic features of which are as yet not well defined.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = leukemia (Clic here for more details about this article) |