Analysis of cerebral toxoplasmosis in a series of 170 allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients.

Abstract

INTRODUCTION:

Cerebral toxoplasmosis is a rare but fatal complication in hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients, which mostly is caused by reactivation of latent disease.

METHODS:

In this study, we report an analysis of cerebral toxoplasmosis in a series of 170 allogeneic stem cell transplant patients during a 30-month period at our institution.

RESULTS:

Among these allogeneic stem cell transplant patients, 5 were diagnosed with cerebral toxoplasmosis by brain magnetic resonance imaging and polymerase chain reaction of Toxoplasma gondii DNA. The incidence of cerebral toxoplasmosis was found to be 2.94%.

CONCLUSION:

Mortality rate is known to be very high in cerebral toxoplasmosis; therefore, it is life saving to diagnose the disease in the early stages and start treatment promptly, especially in high-endemic countries like Turkey.

• Authors: E Hakko, H A Ozkan, K Karaman, Z Gulbas
• Journal: Transplant infectious disease : an official journal of the Transplantation Society (Transpl Infect Dis) Vol. 15 Issue 6 Pg. 575-80 (Dec 2013) ISSN: 1399-3062 [Electronic] Denmark
• PMID: 24103000 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
• Copyright: © 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Chemical References

• Anti-Bacterial Agents
• Coccidiostats
• DNA, Protozoan
• Clindamycin
• Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination

Topics

• Adult
• Anti-Bacterial Agents (therapeutic use)
• Clindamycin (therapeutic use)
• Coccidiostats (therapeutic use)
• DNA, Protozoan (isolation & purification)
• Female
• Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (adverse effects)
• Humans
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
• Retrospective Studies
• Toxoplasma (genetics, isolation & purification)
• Toxoplasmosis, Cerebral (diagnosis, drug therapy, microbiology)
• Transplantation, Homologous
• Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination (therapeutic use)