Bacteraemia in patients with HIV disease: aetiological spectrum and profile of antimicrobial susceptibility]

A retrospective survey of non-opportunistic bacterial pathogens isolated from blood cultures of patients with HIV disease has been carried out for a 6-year period, and the antibiotic susceptibility of the 748 microorganisms cultured from 682 consecutive patients, has been evaluated. Gram-positive organisms significantly prevailed over gram-negative ones, with Staphylococcus aureus, coagulase-negative staphylococci, Enterococcus faecalis, Xantomonas maltophilia, Salmonella and Pseudomonas sp. as the most common isolates, and Rhodococcus equi, Serratia, Acinetobacter and Alcaligenes sp. as emerging pathogens. Useful suggestions may be obtained for empiric antimicrobial treatment of suspected sepsis in HIV-infected patients, from the evaluation of the antibiotic susceptibility profile of these non-opportunistic bacterial pathogens.