One hundred thirty-five febrile episodes in 111 children with malignancies were reviewed. In 50 of 125 episodes blood cultures were positive; gram-positive bacteremia was detected in 40 episodes and gram-negative bacteremia in 10 episodes. The predominant gram-positive bacteria were coagulase-negative staphylococci, the predominant gram-negative bacteria were Escherichia coli. The possible role of coagulase-negative staphylococci in causing septicemia in immunocompromised hosts is discussed with conclusions that influence designing a primary antibiotic regimen to treat febrile episodes in leukopenic children.
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