[Salmonella dublin enteric fever in two compromised hosts]

Abstract

Salmonella (S) dublin is a rare cause of human enteric fever. We studied 2 compromised hosts, one of them being treated for lymphocytic leukemia and the other for chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Both had recurrent enteric fever caused by S. dublin. Both strains were resistant to chloramphenicol and to ampicillin and the patients were treated by trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole to which the organism was sensitive. Investigations failed to discover an extraintestinal localisation and stool cultures remained negative after antibiotic treatment. One patient had a relapse of enteric fever at every relapse of his leukemia; the second patient after his second episode of enteric fever was treated prophylactically during 3 months. When he stopped antibiotic prophylaxis a fatal S. dublin septicemia occurred. We suggest that compromised hosts with S. dublin infection be treated prophylactically to prevent relapse.