[Microbial maps and blood cultures in acute leukemia]

Microbial maps were performed taking swabs from nose, pharinx, external auditory meatus, groin, vagina, sputum and urine cultures in 69 cases of acute leukaemia, in order: to assess the germs' incidence in an "open ward" department; to eliminate the most dangerous pathogens with local treatment or with a selective therapy without broad-specturm antibiotics; to check, in the 43 cases followed from onset, the changes occurring during the admission and the disease progression; to collect data for comparison with a "sterile" ward. The local decontamination had only a temporary effect. During the course of the disease new, particularly dangerous, pathogens were cultured. Blood cultures were positive in 15% of the patients with fever at the onset of the disease, and in 36.9% of the patients with fever during the disease progression. These values were virtually the same as those observed in the acute stage of C.M.L. (35.7%). In akute leukaemia E. coli (35%) was the most common, followed by P. aeruginosa (20%), Klebsiella (15%), S. alpha haemolyticus (10%) and others. There was little or no relationship between the germs in the maps and those in the blood cultures, though it must be remembered that no stool cultures were examined.