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Post-transplant Events

Observational prospective study of viral infections in children undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation: a 3-year GETMON experience

Bone Marrow Transplantation volume 46, pages 119–124 (2011)Cite this article

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Abstract

We studied surveillance, incidence and outcome of viral infections in children undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) in the main pediatric transplant units in Spain. We prospectively collected data from first year post-HCT in every consecutive allogeneic HCT performed during 3 years (N=215): first HCT=188 and second HCT=27; median age=6.6 years (0.1–20.7). Most patients had acute leukemia (N=137) and 135 recipients (63%) were CMV seropositive. A total of 46 patients underwent cord blood transplant, 133 patients underwent HCT from alternative donors (62%) and 101 patients received anti-thymocyte globulin. Observational time was completed in 137 patients, whereas the remaining 78 died after a median survival time of 99 days (3–352). CMV was monitored in all patients; adenovirus (ADV) and human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) were monitored in 101 and 33 patients, respectively. We found 145 viral infections in 103 patients: CMV (n=42), ADV (n=32), HHV-6 (n=7), polyomavirus (n=20), EBV (n=6), VZV (n=17) and others (n=8). CMV infection was significantly higher in seropositive patients (25 vs 7%) (P=0.02). Extensive chronic GVHD (cGVHD) was significantly associated with an increased rate of viral infections (12 of 16 patients with cGVHD had infections vs 91 of 199 without GVHD) (P=0.035). In total, 10 patients (4.6%) died of viral infections (CMV=5, ADV=3, respiratory=2). We found a high incidence of viral infection, but mortality was low.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pediatric Oncology Unit, Hospital Infantil La Fe, Valencia, Spain

    A Verdeguer & J M Fernández-Navarro

  2. Hospital Infantil Vall d’Hebron, Barcelona, Spain

    C D de Heredia

  3. Hospital Niño Jesús, Madrid, Spain

    M González & M A Díaz

  4. Hospital Infantil La Paz, Madrid, Spain

    A M Martínez

  5. Hospital Virgen del Rocío, Sevilla, Spain

    J M Pérez-Hurtado

  6. Hospital Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain

    I Badell

  7. Hospital Reina Sofía, Córdoba, Spain

    P Gómez

  8. Hospital Materno Infantile, Málaga, Spain

    M E González

  9. Hospital Ramón y Cajal, Madrid, Spain

    A Muñoz

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  1. A Verdeguer
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  3. M González
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  4. A M Martínez
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  5. J M Fernández-Navarro
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  7. I Badell
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  11. M A Díaz
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GETMON: Spanish Working Party for Blood and Marrow Transplantation in Children

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Correspondence to A Verdeguer.

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The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Verdeguer, A., de Heredia, C., González, M. et al. Observational prospective study of viral infections in children undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation: a 3-year GETMON experience. Bone Marrow Transplant 46, 119–124 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/bmt.2010.52

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