Septicemia in renal transplant recipients

Thirty-six renal transplant recipients with 47 episodes of septicemia were studied carefully at the bedside, in the laboratory, and, all too frequently, at autopsy. Gram-negative bacilli were the pathogens most commonly responsible, folloed in order of frequency by gram-positive cocci, polymicrobic etiologic agents, Listeria monocytogenes, and fungi. Infections of the transplant site (urinary tract or transplant wounds) caused septicemia in 51% of the cases. Other portals of entry included the lung, the abdomen, the meninges, the endocardium, and miscellaneous sites. The outcome of septicemia was fatal in 36% of the episodes. There was a significantly higher mortality for episodes of septicemia associated with pneumonia, persistent bloodstream infection, leukopenia, metastatic abscesses, clinical shock, and acute respiratory failure. The high mortality of septicemia in renal allograft recipients demands that extremely careful attention be given to subtle clinical clues denoting the onset and predicting the course of the disorder.