To investigate the pathogen spectrum of patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) complicated with septicemia in local area.

The clinical data of AIDS patients complicated with septicemia in Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University from January 2014 to December 2015 were analyzed, retrospectively; the distribution of pathogenic microorganisms were investigated and the correlation between pathogenic spectrum and CD4⁺ T cell counts were analyzed.

Among the 84 AIDS patients complicated with septicemia, 38 cases (45.3%) were with bacterial infection, 39 cases (46.4%) with fungal infection, 7 cases (8.3%) with bacterial and fungal co-infection. Total of 91 strains of pathogenic microorganism were collected, predominated by 24 strains (26.4%) of Penicillium marneffei, 21 strains (23.1%) of Cryptococcus neoformans, 9 strains (9.9%) of Staphylococcus hominis and 7 21 strains (7.7%) of Enterococcus faecium. Among the 83 adult patients, 14 patients (16.9%) were fungal infection with CD4⁺ T cell counts > 100 cells/μl; 5 patients with CD4⁺ T cell counts of 51-100 cells/μl. There were 64 patients (77.1%) whose CD4⁺ T cell ≤ 100 cells/μl, mainly with bacterial and fungal co-infection (67.2%). The risk of septicemia with fungi and co-infection in AIDS patients with CD4⁺ T cell ≤ 50 cells/μl was significantly higher than that of patients with CD4⁺ T cell > 50 cells/μl, with significant difference (OR = 6.63, χ² = 15.67, P < 0.001).

AIDS patients with CD4⁺ T cell ≤ 50 cells/μl were high-risk groups for fungal septicemia and mixed infection sepsis, AIDS complicated with Penicillium marneffei and Cryptococcus neoformans sepsis in our region should be attached importance, and disinfection and isolation must be attached great importance to inorder to avoid the hospital infection of patients with AIDS.