A multicentre cohort study on colonization and infection with ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae in high-risk patients with haematological malignancies.

Background: Bloodstream infections (BSIs) caused by enterobacteria remain a leading cause of mortality in patients with chemotherapy-induced neutropenia. The rate and type of colonization and infection with ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-E) and their mode of transmission in German cancer centres is largely unknown.

Methods: We performed a prospective, observational study at five German university-based haematology departments.