[Severe infections associated with chronic lymphoid leukemia. 159 infectious episodes in 60 patients]

This retrospective hospital study concerns 159 infectious episodes observed in 60 patients with chronic lymphoid leukaemia (CLL) staged A, B or C on first admission. The most frequent site of infection was pulmonary (33%), followed by ENT and stomatological infections (15%), septicaemia (9%), urinary and genital tracts infections (9%), herpes virus infections (9%), skin and soft tissue purulent sepsis (8%), digestive tract (3%) and meningeal (1%) infections and isolated fever (8%). Seventy nine bacteria were isolated, including 35 Gram-positive cocci (Staphylococcus spp. 12, Streptococcus spp. 13, D. pneumoniae 5, Enterococcus spp. 5), 43 Gram-negative bacilli (Enterobacteriaceae 36, Pseudomonas spp. 5, Haemophilus influenzae 2) and 1 M. tuberculosis. The other documented infections were: candidiasis 11, viral infections 19 (including 17 of the herpes group) and 2 parasitoses (1 pneumocystosis, 1 toxoplasmosis). Sixteen patients died of toxic -infectious shock (9 cases, including 1 meningitis) or pneumonia (7 cases, including one chicken-pox). Stage C leukaemia and granulopenia (less than 1 X 10(9) PN/l) were associated with significantly more frequent and severe infections.