STAPHYLOCOCCUS-AUREUS BACTEREMIA - A 14-YEAR NATIONWIDE STUDY IN HEMATOLOGICAL PATIENTS WITH MALIGNANT DISEASE OR AGRANULOCYTOSIS

This retrospective nationwide study of 756 cases of S. aureus bacterem ia in hematological patients, between 1977-1990, confirms that S. aure us bacteremia is disproportionately prevalent among, and a major cause of morbidity and mortality in, hematological patients. The case morta lity rate attributable to S. aureus bacteremia (44%) was significantly higher than the rate (29%) found in patients without hematological di sease. A decreasing mortality was, however, observed from the first to the last part of the study period (53 and 37% respectively). A logist ic regression analysis showed that mortality was further dependent on age, the type of hematological disease and origin of infection/primary focus of infection, Analysis of clinical features confirmed that in c omparison with other patients, S. aureus bacteremia in hematological p atients more often was hospital-acquired, acquired without known porta l of infection/primary focus of infection and much less frequently res ulted in osteomyelitis or endocarditis. From phage typing and antibiot ic susceptibility patterns no specific types of S. aureus were associa ted with hematological patients.