Logo image
Back
Infections caused by viridans streptococci in patients with neutropenia
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Infections caused by viridans streptococci in patients with neutropenia

Allan R Tunkel and Kent A Sepkowitz
Clinical infectious diseases, v 34(11), pp 1524-1529
01 Jun 2002
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/340402
PMID: 12015700
Featured in Collection :   UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
url
https://academic.oup.com/cid/article-pdf/34/11/1524/1052438/34-11-1524.pdfView
Published, Version of Record (VoR) Open
url
https://doi.org/10.1086/340402View
Published, Version of Record (VoR) Open

Abstract

Anti-Bacterial Agents - therapeutic use Antibiotic Prophylaxis Fluoroquinolones Humans Neutropenia - complications Neutropenia - microbiology Risk Factors Streptococcal Infections - drug therapy Streptococcal Infections - epidemiology Streptococcal Infections - etiology Streptococcal Infections - prevention & control Streptococcus Treatment Outcome Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination - therapeutic use
The frequency of isolation of viridans streptococci from the blood of neutropenic patients with cancer has significantly increased over the course of the last 10-15 years. Risk factors in this patient population include severe neutropenia, oral mucositis, administration of high-dose cytosine arabinoside, and antimicrobial prophylaxis with either trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole or a fluoroquinolone. In some patients with cancer and neutropenia who develop viridans streptococcal bacteremia, a toxic shock-like syndrome has been described; Streptococcus mitis has been the causative species in most cases. Because resistance of viridans streptococci to a variety of antimicrobial agents is increasingly recognized, penicillin susceptibility cannot be assumed, and empirical vancomycin therapy should be used to treat neutropenic patients with cancer who have shock or are developing acute respiratory distress syndrome. Given the seriousness of septicemia caused by viridans streptococci and the potential for selection of other resistant microorganisms, the routine practice of antimicrobial prophylaxis for neutropenic patients with cancer should be reconsidered.

Metrics

7 Record Views
174 citations in Web of Science
215 citations in Scopus

Details

UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This publication has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

#3 Good Health and Well-Being

InCites Highlights

Data related to this publication, from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool:

Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
Web of Science research areas
Immunology
Infectious Diseases
Microbiology
Logo image