Survey of Enteric Pathogens Causing Bacteremia in Cancer Patients

Background: Symptomatic bacteraemia, is a frequent condition among cancer patients with a significant morbidity and mortality all over the world. Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the burden of enteric pathogens causing bacteremia among cancer patients. Patients and Methods: Ten ml blood samples were withdrawn from the cancer patients under aseptic conditions. The blood specimens were added to the blood culture bottles and incubated at 37°C. The bacterial isolates from these samples were identified by routine biochemical reactions. Results: During the study period, 68 blood samples from cancer patients were analyzed for bacteremia. Of these patients, six were female (08/82%) and 62 were male (91.18%); with age ranging from under 40 years to 85 years old (mean, 63 years). Gastro-intestinal cancer and cancers of head and neck were the most frequent cancer types in the studied group, accounting for 51 (75%) and 15 (22.1%) cases, respectively. The mean weight of patients was 69.18 Kg (range: 49-100 Kg). Similarly, the mean length of hospital stay was 8 days (range: 4-12 days). Positive blood cultures were detected in only 12 (17.65%) and 11 (91.7%) blood specimens from the Cancer Institute, Tehran, compared with one (08.33%) from Shahid Kamali hospital, Karaj. From these patients, 15 bacteria were isolated; E. coli alone outnumbered other species and accounted for 33.33% of the episodes of bacteremia. Conclusions: In conclusion, our investigation revealed that cancers of GI tract are the most common cancer types causing bacteremia and also we identified that most common bacteria causing bacteremia in Cancer Institute, Tehran and Shahid Kamali Hospital, Karaj, are E. coli and S. aureus