BACTERIAL INFECTIONS IN NEUTROPENIC CANCER PATIENTS: EPIDEMIOLOGY, CHANGING PATTERN AND ANTIMICROBIAL PROPHYLAXIS

Cancer patients are at higher risk of infection due to altered immune system caused by aggressive chemotherapy. Neutropenia is a most common adverse effect of such types of therapeutics regimes. Neutropenic patients develop serious life-threatening infection caused by both gram positive and negative bacteria. Febrile neutropenia and bacteremia are serious infectious condition in neutropenic cancer patient after receiving cytotoxic chemotherapy. The major changes have been witnessed in pathogens with respect to epidemiology and drug resistance at national and international level. The changing pattern of pathogens, rapid development of bacterial resistant and emergence of new clinical problems imposed extra burden on clinicians to manage neutropenic cancer patients. It is therefore imperative that microbiological profile for antibiotic sensitivity pattern is known before empirical or therapeutic use of antibiotics.