Rhabdomyolysis complicating polymicrobial sepsis in a patient with acute leukemia

Rhabdomyolysis with myoglobinuria is an uncommon complication of sepsis, whether monomicrobial or polymicrobial, even in its severe form. We describe a middle-aged woman with acute leukemia who developed rhabdomyolysis and myoglobinuria during the fatal course of chemotherapy-induced sepsis due to Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron and Enterococcus faecalis, followed by multiple organ dysfunction syndrome. In addition, autopsy revealed disseminated infections with Aspergillus and Candida. None of these organisms has been reported to be involved in the pathogenesis of rhabdomyolysis. Therefore, the etiology of the rhabdomyolysis in this case was probably multifactorial, with polymicrobial septic processes being possibly important contributing factors.