Randomized comparison of sulbactam/cefoperazone with imipenem as empirical monotherapy for febrile granulocytopenic patients.

In a prospective, randomized, controlled trial, we compared sulbactam/cefoperazone with imipenem as empirical monotherapy for febrile, granulocytopenic patients; 101 patients received sulbactam/cefoperazone (2 g/4 g every 12 hours) and 102 patients received imipenem (500 mg every 6 hours). Documented infections were present in 40% of patients treated with sulbactam/cefoperazone (40 of 101) and in 39% of patients receiving imipenem (40 of 102). The number of pretherapy gram-positive pathogens (52 isolates) was twice the number of pretherapy gram-negative pathogens (26 isolates). The overall favorable clinical response rates for sulbactam/cefoperazone (91 of 103 patients, or 88%) and imipenem (84 of 104 patients, or 81%) were similar. Both drugs were generally well tolerated. However, diarrhea occurred more often in patients treated with sulbactam/cefoperazone (31 of 101 patients, or 31%, vs. 15 of 102 patients, or 15%; P = .007), while seizures developed only in patients receiving imipenem (0 of 101 patients vs. 3 of 102 patients, or 3%). Superinfections developed in 16% of patients in both study groups but were infrequently caused by beta-lactam-resistant gram-negative bacilli (two cases with sulbactam/cefoperazone therapy and six cases with imipenem). These results support the efficacy and safety of either sulbactam/cefoperazone or imipenem as empirical monotherapy for febrile granulocytopenic patients.

Intravenous immunoglobulin and CMV-seronegative blood products for prevention of CMV infection and disease in bone marrow transplant recipients.

The efficacy of i.v. immunoglobulin plus CMV-seronegative blood products or CMV-seronegative blood products alone for prevention of CMV infection, symptomatic CMV disease, other infections and GVHD after BMT was evaluated in a randomized, controlled trial. Fifty-one CMV-seronegative allogeneic BMTs with a CMV-seronegative or CMV-seropositive marrow donor were randomly assigned to receive either i.v. immunoglobulin (1.0 g/kg once weekly for 120 days after transplant) plus CMV-seronegative blood products or CMV-seronegative blood products alone. CMV infection occurred in 2 of 25 patients (7%) receiving i.v. immunoglobulin plus CMV-seronegative blood and in 2 of 23 patients (9%) receiving CMV-seronegative blood alone. All CMV infections were asymptomatic and characterized by viral excretion with or without CMV seroconversion. There were no cases of CMV-related interstitial pneumonia. Grade > or = II GVHD was less frequent in patients given i.v. immunoglobulin (5 of 25 patients (20%) vs. 11 of 23 patients (48%), p = 0.04). The number of bacterial and fungal infections was similar in both groups. Fewer non-CMV viral infections (9 of 27 patients (33%) vs. 15 of 24 patients (63%), p = 0.03) and fewer deaths associated with infection (1 of 27 patients (4%) vs. 5 of 24 patients (21%), p = 0.07) occurred in recipients of immunoglobulin. Neither survival nor risk of leukemia relapse was changed by the immunoglobulin. The high doses of i.v. immunoglobulin were well tolerated. These results suggest that CMV-seronegative blood products alone prevent most CMV infections and CMV disease in CMV-seronegative allogeneic BMT recipients, even when the marrow donor is CMV-seropositive.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Ganciclovir prophylaxis of cytomegalovirus infection and disease in allogeneic bone marrow transplant recipients. Results of a placebo-controlled, double-blind trial.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of ganciclovir for prevention of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and disease. DESIGN: A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial. SETTING: University-affiliated bone marrow transplant center. PATIENTS: Cytomegalovirus-seropositive allogeneic bone marrow transplant recipients. INTERVENTIONS: Random assignment to receive either a placebo or ganciclovir at a dose of 2.5 mg/kg body weight every 8 hours for 1 week before transplant and then at a dose of 6 mg/kg once per day, Monday through Friday, after transplant when the post-transplant neutrophil count reached 1.0 x 10(9)/L. MEASUREMENTS: Cytomegalovirus infection (positive culture, seroconversion, positive histologic findings), CMV disease (pneumonia, gastroenteritis, the wasting syndrome), and study-drug toxicity. RESULTS: Cytomegalovirus infection developed in 25 of 45 placebo patients (56%) but in only 8 of 40 ganciclovir patients (20%) (P < 0.001). Cytomegalovirus disease may also have occurred less often in the ganciclovir patients (4 of 40 patients [10%] versus 11 of 45 patients [24%]; P = 0.09). The probability of CMV disease occurring within the first 120 days after transplantation was 0.29 among the placebo patients but only 0.12 among ganciclovir patients (P = 0.06). Reversible neutropenia was the only appreciable toxicity related to ganciclovir and required interruption of the study drug after transplant in 25 of 43 ganciclovir patients (58%) and in 13 of 47 placebo patients (28%) (P = 0.005). Overall survival was similar in both the placebo patients (29 of 45 [64%]) and ganciclovir patients (28 of 40 [70%]; P > 0.2). CONCLUSIONS: Prophylactic ganciclovir, started before transplant and continued after recovery of the post-transplant neutrophil count, reduces the incidence and severity of CMV infection in CMV-sero-positive bone marrow transplant recipients but is frequently associated with neutropenia.

Ganciclovir therapy for cytomegalovirus infections in recipients of bone marrow transplants and other immunosuppressed patients.

The efficacy and safety of ganciclovir were evaluated for the treatment of 39 life-threatening or sight-threatening cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections in recipients of bone marrow transplants (15 patients), recipients of liver or renal transplants (8 patients), patients with AIDS (11 patients), and one patient each with lymphoma or systemic lupus erythematosus. Twenty-eight (72%) of 39 CMV infections improved during ganciclovir therapy, which was associated with elimination of CMV from cultures. Improvement occurred more frequently in patients with viremia, fever, and wasting (8 of 8), hepatitis (3 of 4), retinitis (5 of 5), or colitis (1 of 1), than in patients with pneumonia (11 of 21). Only two of nine marrow transplant recipients with CMV pneumonia survived, as compared with nine of 12 other immunosuppressed patients with pneumonia. However, all six marrow transplant recipients who were treated for CMV viremia, fever, and wasting without pneumonia survived. Neutropenia was the only adverse reaction associated with ganciclovir therapy and was more frequent in patients with AIDS (6 [55%] of 11) than in transplant recipients (5 [20%] of 25). These results suggest that ganciclovir is of clinical benefit for immunosuppressed patients with serious CMV infections. For bone marrow transplant recipients, ganciclovir may be more effective when used prophylactically or earlier in the course of CMV infection before the development of pneumonia.

Intravenous immune globulin for prevention of cytomegalovirus infection and interstitial pneumonia after bone marrow transplantation.

The effects of high doses of polyvalent intravenous immune globulin given for prophylaxis of cytomegalovirus infection and interstitial pneumonia in recipients of allogeneic marrow transplants were evaluated in a randomized controlled trial. Both symptomatic cytomegalovirus infection (21% compared with 46%, p = 0.03) and interstitial pneumonia (18% compared with 46%, p = 0.02) occurred less frequently in the recipients of intravenous immune globulin than in control patients. Prophylactic intravenous immune globulin was also associated with a lower incidence of graft-versus-host disease (34% in recipients compared with 65% in controls, p = 0.01), but its reduction in rates of interstitial pneumonia was independent of graft-versus-host disease and occurred in both patients with and without graft-versus-host disease. The high doses of immune globulin were well tolerated. Prophylactic intravenous immune globulin can modify the severity of cytomegalovirus infection and prevent interstitial pneumonia and possibly graft-versus-host disease in patients having allogeneic marrow transplantation.

[Use of a polyvalent intravenous immunoglobulin or specific cytomegalovirus hyperimmunoglobulin for modification of cytomegalovirus infections and prevention of interstitial pneumonias following bone marrow transplantation]. / Einsatz von polyvalentem intravenösem Immunglobulin oder spezifischem Zytomegaliehyperimmunglobulin zur Modifikation von Zytomegalievirusinfektionen und Prophylaxe von interstitiellen Pneumonien nach Knochenmarktransplantation.

The effects of prophylactic, polyvalent intravenous immune globulin on cytomegalovirus infection and interstitial pneumonia in allogenic marrow transplants were evaluated in an ongoing, randomized controlled trial. Thirty-eight patients were given weekly doses (20 cc/kg) of polyvalent intravenous immune globulin before and after transplantation, and 37 patients were controls. Both symptomatic cytomegalovirus infection (17 of 37 or 46% vs. 8 of 38 or 21%, p = 0.04) and interstitial pneumonia (17 of 37 or 46% vs. 7 of 38 or 18%, p = 0.02) occurred less frequently in the recipients of polyvalent intravenous immune globulin. In separate kinetic studies, a 5 cc/kg dose of a cytomegalovirus-specific hyperimmune globulin produced cytomegalovirus antibody titers in patients equivalent to those achieved after the 20 cc/kg dose of polyvalent intravenous immune globulin. All immune globulin preparations were well-tolerated. These preliminary results suggest that intravenous immune globulin can modify the severity of cytomegalovirus infection and prevent interstitial pneumonia in marrow transplants. Additional trials are now needed to define the minimal effective dose of intravenous immune globulin and to compare the effectiveness of different intravenous immune globulin formulations.