Gram-negative enteric bacteria in the oral cavity of leukemia patients.

We examined changes in the bacterial flora in hospitalized patients with leukemia. This study placed special emphasis on enteric microorganisms and their relation to the general status of the patient. One hundred thirty bacterial cultures from 16 leukemia patients and 16 control subjects, were obtained. The organisms were isolated on MacConkey agar and identified by the API-20E system. Enteric microorganisms were isolated from 62.2% of the leukemia patients as compared with 28% from the control group (p < 0.001). The enteric positive cultures were identified as Klebsiella (42.7%), Enterobacter (18.8%), and Pseudomonas (15.6%). In contrast to the negative cultures (1342), enteric microorganisms were cultured from 2948 specimens (p < 0.005).