BLOOD-STREAM INFECTIONS IN HIV-POSITIVE PATIENTS - A REVIEW OF 68 EPISODES

A retrospective review of all episodes of bloodstream infection (BSI) in HIV-positive patients admitted to the Infectious Diseases Unit at t he Pisa General Hospital from 1991 to 1994 was performed. Sixty-eight episodes of BSI were recorded in 61 patients (5.8% of all patients adm itted for HIV infection). BSI was community-acquired in 64.7% of cases . The patients were mainly male and i.v. drug abusers with a mean age of 33.8 yrs +/- 5.6 S.D. Sixty-four episodes occurred in AIDS patients (CDC criteria). CD4 count was less than 100 in 49 patients. The most frequent isolates were coagulase-negative staphylococci 33, S.aureus 7 , Pseudomonas spp 7, fungi 1, non-typhoidal Salmonella 4. The most com mon sources of BSI were the skin or subcutaneous tissue infections and intravascular catheters. The overall mortality associated with BSI wa s 27.3%. Vancomycin and teicoplanin were active in vitro against all b ut one of the staphylococcal isolates.