Fatal Stenotrophomonas maltophilia Hemorrhagic Pneumonia: A Unique Infectious Syndrome Complicating Acute Leukemia

Opportunistic infections are a leading cause of death in patients undergoing induction chemotherapy for acute myelogenous leukemia. Bacterial infections in this population are common, and virulent Gram-negative organisms pose an ever-growing threat because of the use of broad-spectrum antimicrobial agents, prolonged myelosuppression, and protracted hospitalizations. Recently, a characteristic infectious syndrome of fatal hemorrhagic pneumonia attributed to Stenotrophomonas maltophilia was described in cytopenic patients with acute leukemia who received anthracycline-based chemotherapy. We report another fatal case and review the literature on this recently described infectious syndrome.