Haemostatic abnormalities in multidrug-resistant enteric fever.

Twenty-five consecutive patients with multidrug-resistant enteric fever were evaluated and followed for haemostatic abnormalities. Twenty-one (84%) of the patients had evidence of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) and 12 (48%) also had evidence of associated fibrinolysis. Clinical bleeding was observed in 3 (12%) cases, and did not bear any correlation with clotting abnormalities. Protein C activity was found to be decreased in 11 of the 15 cases with DIC, and a block in its activation, as previously postulated, could not be substantiated. DIC was reversed in most cases within 8 days of the institution of specific antibiotic therapy.