A retrospective review of all episodes of bloodstream infection (BSI) in HIV-positive patients admitted to the Infectious Diseases Unit at the Pisa General Hospital from 1991 to 1994 was performed. Sixty-eight episodes of BSI were recorded in 61 patients (5.8% of all patients admitted for HIV infection). BSI was community-acquired in 64.7% of cases. The patients were mainly male and i.v. drug abusers with a mean age of 33.8 yrs +/- 5.6 S.D. Sixty-four episodes occurred in AIDS patients (CDC criteria). CD4 count was less than 100 in 49 patients. The most frequent isolates were coagulase-negative staphylococci 33, S. aureus 7, Pseudomonas spp 7, fungi 1, non-typhoidal Salmonella 4. The most common sources of BSI were the skin or subcutaneous tissue infections and intravascular catheters. The overall mortality associated with BSI was 27.3%. Vancomycin and teicoplanin were active in vitro against all but one of the staphylococcal isolates.