[Septicemia causative organisms 1983-1985. The results of a multicenter study].

8,999 septicaemia pathogens were isolated from 8,500 patients during a two-year period by eleven institutes in West Germany, two institutes in West Berlin und two institutes in Austria. 54% of the patients were male. Septicaemias occurred very often in neonates, rarely in the second decade of life, and then with rising incidence up to a maximum in the seventh decade. Gram-negative rods were isolated in 49% of the samples, gram-positive cocci in 45%, anaerobic bacteria in 2.5% and blastomycetes in 1.9%. The spectrum of pathogens in children was markedly different from that in adults. Slight differences depended on the type of hospital and the specialised institution or the ward submitting the samples. The minimum inhibitory concentration was determined to assess the susceptibility of the bacteria to antibiotics.