Bacteroides Septicemia

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Twenty-five patients with septicemia due to the genus Bacteroides were seen in a 6-year period of time. The time required for growth of the organism from blood cultures varied from 2 to 18 days, the mean being 6.5 days. The majority of the patients were young adults. The portals of entry were the gastrointestinal tract (32%), the oropharynx (20%), the female pelvis (20%), wound infections and decubitus ulcers (16%), and the lungs (12%). Fever occurred in 96% of these patients, leucocytosis in 80%, anemia in 65%, jaundice in 40%, shock in 28%, whereas thrombophlebitis at the site of origin of the infection occurred in only 12%. The overall mortality rate was 20%. Fever as high as 106[degree] F, leukocytosis to 58,300/mm3, hematocrit as low as 24% and a serum bilirubin as high as 26 mg.% were observed. Bacteroides septicemia occurred in patients subsequent to or during the prophylactic or therapeutic use of antibiotics such as Neomycin, Kanamycin, Streptomycin and penicillin. Tetracycline is the antibiotic of choice in the therapeutic management of patients with proven or suspected Bacteroides infection.

This publication has 6 references indexed in Scilit: