Hepato-Splenic Mycotic Abscesses in Patients with Acute Leukemia

In recent years treatment of acute leukemia has been characterized by the use of progressively more aggressive chemotherapeutic protocols. This therapeutic strategy is associated with prolonged neutropenia and more drug damage of the mucosae. Consequently the incidence of infectious complications, largely bacterial and mycotic, has increased remarkably¹. The fungal etiology of infection may be further favoured by the long-term use of broad-spectrum antibiotic prophylaxis and/or by therapy. The most frequent localizations of mycotic infections are the lungs and oesophagus², while hepato-splenic abscesses are relatively rare events^3-6. Autopsy studies on leukemic patients have shown an incidence of mycotic hepato-splenic abscesses of between 0.2-0.7%⁷.