SEPSIS DUE TO STREPTOCOCCUS-PNEUMONIAE - REPORT OF 40 CASES

Sepsis due to Streptococcus pneumoniae has a high mortality. We report a retrospective review of 40 episodes of S pneumonia sepsis in adult patients during a two year period in a general hospital, that represen ted 11.3% of all sepsis observed in such hospital. Ninety two percent of infections were community acquired and in 95%, the portal of entry was the respiratory tract. Eighty five percent of patients had at leas t one risk factor such as alcohol abuse, unconsciousness or chronic pu lmonary disease. Nine patients had suppurative complications (empyema in 4 cases, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis in 2, septic arthritis i n 2 and meningitis in I case) and 12 (30%) died. The potential benefit of antipneumococcal vaccine as prevention should be considered in hig h risk subjects