HIV disease and bacterial superinfections due to Xanthomonas spp.: a frequent association

Sixty-four episodes of Xanthomonas spp. infection were observed in 2.400 patients hospitalised for HIV disease (~2.7%) over an 8-year period: sepsi-bacteremia in 52 cases, lower respiratory tract infection in 6 cases, urinary tract infection in three patients, pharyngitis in two cases, and lymph node resented the fourth most common non-mycobacterial bacterial pathogens responsible for bacteremia in our HIV-infected patients: 52 cases out of 878 diagnosed (5.9%). The progression of HIV-related immunodeficiency, the occurrence of leukopenia-neutropenia, hospitalisation, previous antibiotic and/or corticosteroid treatment, and instrumentation, seemed to act as risk factors for the occurrence of Xanthomonas spp. infection. In three patients suffering from severe immunodeficiency and concurrent AIDS-related disorders, Xanthomonas spp. complication contributed to death, while a relapsing disease occurred in two cases only. Because of the poor antimicrobial susceptibility of these pathogens (also confirmed in our series), Xanthomonas spp. infection associated with advanced HIV disease and concurrent risk factors, may represent a potentially severe complication.