Immunotherapy of invasive fungal infection in hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients.

ABSTRACT: Despite the availability of new antifungal compounds, invasive fungal infection remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in children and adults undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Allogeneic HSCT recipients suffer from a long lasting defect of different arms of the immune system, which increases the risk for and deteriorates the prognosis of invasive fungal infections. In turn, advances in understanding these immune deficits have resulted in promising strategies to enhance or restore critical immune functions in allogeneic HSCT recipients. Potential approaches include the administration of granulocytes, since neutropenia is the single most important risk factor for invasive fungal infection, and preliminary clinical results suggest a benefit

SUBMITTER: Lehrnbecher T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3566394 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature