Overwhelming pneumococcal infection in a hyposplenic adult.

In a woman with an atrophic, apparently nonfunctioning spleen pneumococcal septicemia led to death within 72 hours of admission. As in five previously described adults, the patient's presentation and subsequent clinical course were identical to those of the syndrome of overwhelming postsplenectomy infection, except that there was no history of splenectomy. Patients without spleens may be given penicillin prophylaxis for an indefinite period, vaccinated against pneumococci or both.