Bacillus cereus in the Hematologic Malignancy Patient: Case Report and Review of the Literature

Bacillus cereus is a Gram positive, spore-forming rod that classically causes food poisoning via plasmid-encoded toxins. Life-threatening infections with B. cereus have been reported in patients with hematologic malignancies, primarily as these patients experience neutropenia following the initiation of induction chemotherapy. Here, we report a case of B. cereus enterocolitis/typhlitis in a neutropenic patient with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) and we summarize the literature regarding the infectious manifestations of B. cereus in patients with hematologic malignancies.