Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to M Fracaro.
Positive blood cultures (in total 7541) obtained from patients of varied social background in a New York medical centre between 1984 and 1989 are reviewed. Streptococcus pneumoniae predominated in community-acquired infections, and coagulase-negative staphylococci and Staphylococcus aureus in nosocomial infections, the latter often arising from intravenous lines. The reported trend towards Gram-positive isolates is confirmed in this series.
We report a cluster of primary cutaneous aspergillosis in six children with hematologic malignancy. When first seen, they had hemorrhagic bullae caused by Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus, and Aspergillus niger at the sites of insertion of intravenous cannulas or where arm boards had been taped to the extremities. Rapid diagnosis of cutaneous aspergillosis was made by direct examination of the blister roof with potassium hydroxide before it progressed to a necrotic ulcer. Intravenous amphotericin was instituted promptly in five of six patients, and none died of disseminated aspergillosis. Epidemiologic investigation tracked the source of aspergillus to a storeroom with a false ceiling that had recently been repaired for a water leak.