The Journal of infectious diseases
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The safety and efficacy of tobramycin and cephalothin in treatment of suspected sepsis were studied in neutropenic children with various malignancies. Twenty episodes of suspected sepsis in 19 febrile children with cancer were treated with parenteral tobramycin and cephalothin; the duration of therapy ranged from one to 80 days. In 14 of the 20 episodes of suspected sepsis, a favorable clinical response was achieved within five days after initiation of antibiotic therapy. ⋯ In four of the additional six episodes, clinical deterioration was though to be caused by the underlying malignancies. Two episodes included a case of E. coli spesis that ended fatally and a nosocomial infection with Eikenella corrodens. Results of this study suggest that combination therapy with tobramycin and cephalothin is safe and efficacious in treatment of suspected sepsis in febrile children with malignancies and neutropenia.