Primary gram negative pneumonia in adults in Papua New Guinea.

A retrospective review of gram-negative bacteraemia in Papua New Guinean adults revealed four cases of primary gram negative pneumonia over a two-year period. Patients with primary gram negative pneumonia constituted less than 1% of all pneumonias admitted to the medical ward. Pseudomonas pseudomallei, Haemophilus influenzae and Klebsiella pneumoniae were the aetiologic agents. Three of four patients died following a fulminant course. It is concluded that primary gram-negative pneumonia in Papua New Guinea is rare but carries a high mortality.