Bacterial infection associated with malignancy in children

From 1974 to 1994, 101 specimens obtained from 95 children with malignancy and cultured for aerobic and anaerobic bacteria showed bacterial growth. Th e malignancies include 55 hematologic malignancies and 40 solid tumors. Ana erobic bacteria only were isolated in 31 specimens, aerobic bacteria in 33 and mixed aerobic-anaerobic bacteria in 37. A total of 185 anaerobic (1.8 i solates per specimens) and 103 aerobic or facultative (1.0 per specimen) ba cteria were recovered. The predominant anaerobic bacteria included Peptostr eptococcus spp. (62 isolates), Bacteroides fragilis group (36), Prevotella spp. (28), Fusobacterium spp. (15) and Clostridium spp. (10). The predomina nt aerobic bacteria included Staphylococcus aureus (28), Escherichia coli ( 23) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (11). The types of infections included absce sses (29), bacteremia (17), pulmonary infections (10) and wounds (29, inclu ding 13 postsurgical wounds, 6 cellulitis, 5 decubitus ulcers, 3 gastrostom y and 2 tracheotomy site wounds). S. aureus was isolated at all body sites. However, organisms of the oropharyngeal flora (Prevotella and Porphyromona s spp.) predominated in infections that originated from that site (head and neck wounds and abscesses), and those of the gastrointestinal tract flora predominated in infections that originated from that location (peritonitis, abdominal abscess and decubitus ulcers). This retrospective study demonstr ates the poly-microbial nature of-many infections in children with malignan cies.