Fulminant Bacillus cereus septicaemia with multiple organ ischaemic/haemorrhagic complications in a patient undergoing chemotherapy for acute myelogenous leukaemia.

Bacillus cereus is a Gram-positive spore-forming rod widely found in the environment and is thought to be a frequent source of contamination. This micro-organism is reportedly a significant pathogenic agent among immunocompromised individuals. Furthermore, multiple cases of fulminant septicaemia have been reported among individuals receiving chemotherapy for acute myelogenous leukaemia. In some cases, B. cereus septicaemia was associated with multiple haemorrhages. We, herein, describe a patient with an extremely acute course of B. cereus septicaemia characterised by haemorrhage and infarction of multiple organs, which led to his death. Our findings suggest that delayed treatment of B. cereus in patients with haematologic malignancies undergoing chemotherapy may result in extremely poor outcomes; thus, immediate empirical treatment with vancomycin should be considered. © BMJ Publishing Group Ltd (unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.