Pericarditis associated with Hemophilus influenzae type B pneumonia and bacteremia in two adults.

Two cases of pericarditis associated with Hemophilus influenzae bacteremia and pneumonia are reported and the literature reviewed. Both patients were treated with antibiotics alone and had resolution of their illnesses without apparent adverse sequelae. Neither patient required pericardial drainage. It is suggested that there is a stage in the development of H influenzae pericarditis at which antibiotic treatment alone can be curative.