Table 2. Microorganisms in positive blood cultures and their primary ecological niches, ordered by frequency of occurrence.

		Number of culture-positive subjects
Microorganisms cultured from blood	Primary ecological nichesa	Leukemic patients N=25	ASCT patients N=11
Staphylococcus epidermidis	S, M	17 (61%)	7 (20%)
Staphylococcus haemolyticus	S	8 (29%)	1 (3%)
Enterococcus faecium	I, S, O, E	7 (25%)	1 (3%)
Streptococcus mitis	M, O, I, V, S	4 (14%)	1 (3%)
Micrococcus luteus	S, E, O, OP	3 (11%)	0
Staphylococcus hominis	S	3 (11%)	0
Bacillus mycoides	E	0	1 (3%)
Burkholderia genus REC A	E, O	1 (4%)	0
Lactobacillus rhamnosus	O	1 (4%)	0
Pantoea gavinae	E	1 (4%)	0
Rothia mucilaginosa	OP	1 (4%)	0
Serratia marcescens	S, I	1 (4%)	0
Staphylococcus aureus	S, N, T, P, O	0	1 (3%)
Staphylococcus capitis	S, O	1 (4%)	0
Streptococcus parasanguinis	M, I, V, S, O	1 (4%)	0

Abbreviations: ASCT=autologous stem-cell transplantation; E=environment (plants, animals, soil); I=intestines; M=mucosal tissues; N=nose; O=oral cavity; OP=oropharynx; P=perineum; S=skin; T=throat; V=vagina.

More than one microorganism were cultured in some patients and some patients had more than one positive blood culture, so the total sums up to >25 leukaemic and >11 ASCT patients.

^aThe bold letters in this table indicate the microorganisms related to the oral cavity, oropharynx or throat.