seasonal variation in
the incidence of K. pneumoniae infection in humans has
not, to our knowledge, been reported. By a systematic
examination of the incidence of pathogens in a large
hospital in Marseille, we found a significant increase in
BSI caused by K. pneumoniae during the summer
months. The objective of the present study was to evaluate
this observation further and specifically to determine
whether K. pneumoniae BSI has a higher incidence
during warm months in 4 countries located on 4 continents.
In addition, we examined the rates of Serratia and
Enterobacter BSIs to assess whether similar seasonal variations
occurred with these organisms.