Multiple myeloma and Chagas disease: qPCR as a marker for preemptive antiparasitic therapy: a case reports series and review.

Multiple myeloma (MM) associated with Chagas disease is rarely described. This disease and its therapy suppress T cell and macrophage functions and increase regulatory T cell function, allowing the increase of parasitemia and the risk of Chagas Disease Reactivation (CDR). We aimed to analyze the role of conventional (cPCR) and quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) for prospective monitoring of T. cruzi parasitemia, searching for markers of preemptive antiparasitic therapy in MM patients with Chagas disease. Moreover, we investigated the incidence and management of hematological diseases and CDR both inside and outside the transplant setting in the MEDLINE database. We found 293 studies and included 31 of them. Around 1.9-2.0% of patients with Chagas disease were reported in patients undergoing Stem Cell Transplantation. One case of CDR was described in eight cases of MM and Chagas disease. We monitored nine MM and Chagas disease patients, seven under Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation (ASCT), during 44.56±32.10 months (mean±SD) using parasitological methods, cPCR, and qPCR. From these patients, three had parasitemia. In the first, up to 256 par Eq/mL were detected, starting from 28 months after ASCT. The second patient dropped out and died soon after the detection of 161.0 par Eq/mL. The third patient had a positive blood culture. Benznidazole induced fast negativity in two cases; followed by notably lower levels in one of them. Increased T. cruzi parasitemia was related to the severity of the underlying disease. We recommend parasitemia monitoring by qPCR for early introduction of preemptive antiparasitic therapy to avoid CDR.

Multiple myeloma and Chagas disease: qPCR as a marker for preemptive antiparasitic therapy: a case reports series and review

ABSTRACT Multiple myeloma (MM) associated with Chagas disease is rarely described. This disease and its therapy suppress T cell and macrophage functions and increase regulatory T cell function, allowing the increase of parasitemia and the risk of Chagas Disease Reactivation (CDR). We aimed to analyze the role of conventional (cPCR) and quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) for prospective monitoring of T. cruzi parasitemia, searching for markers of preemptive antiparasitic therapy in MM patients with Chagas disease. Moreover, we investigated the incidence and management of hematological diseases and CDR both inside and outside the transplant setting in the MEDLINE database. We found 293 studies and included 31 of them. Around 1.9-2.0% of patients with Chagas disease were reported in patients undergoing Stem Cell Transplantation. One case of CDR was described in eight cases of MM and Chagas disease. We monitored nine MM and Chagas disease patients, seven under Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation (ASCT), during 44.56±32.10 months (mean±SD) using parasitological methods, cPCR, and qPCR. From these patients, three had parasitemia. In the first, up to 256 par Eq/mL were detected, starting from 28 months after ASCT. The second patient dropped out and died soon after the detection of 161.0 par Eq/mL. The third patient had a positive blood culture. Benznidazole induced fast negativity in two cases; followed by notably lower levels in one of them. Increased T. cruzi parasitemia was related to the severity of the underlying disease. We recommend parasitemia monitoring by qPCR for early introduction of preemptive antiparasitic therapy to avoid CDR.

Dry eye evaluation and immunohistochemical study of the conjunctiva and lacrimal gland of patients submitted to bone marrow transplantation

Purpose: The primary ocular targets of chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) are the lacrimal gland (LG) and the conjunctiva, and their involvement results in keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS). The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the frequancy of signs and symptoms of KCS present in patients submitted to BMT, to identify the cellular phenotype of the conjunctival and lacrimal gland biopsies of these patients by immunohistochemistry and to correlate the findings with the present of dry eye due to GVHD. Methods: Forty-Seven patients were clinically classified into two groups: group I, with ocular GVHD, submitted to allogeneic BMT and Group II, without ocular GVHD, submitted to autologous and allogeneic BMT. Thorough eye examination, including clinical lacrimal function tests and biopsies of the conjunctiva and of the LG were performed in the pre- and posttransplantation period, The biopsies were submitted to imunohistochemical analysis using a panel of monoclonal antibodies. Results: Of the 28 (84,4 percent) patients with chronic GVHD, 13 (46,4 percent) presented ocular GVHD. Of the six patients without GVHD, one (16,7 percent) presented ocular GVHD. None of those submitted to autologous BMT presented ocular GVHD and 14 (41,2 percent) of 34 patients with allogeneic BMT presented ocular GVHD. All patients with ocular GVHD (Group I) has symptoms and the most frequent were burning, foreign body sensation, blurred vision and dryness. the rose bengal test was one of the most sensitive in this study and slit lamp examination was very useful in the evaluation of corneal and conjunctival alterations, since these alterations were always present in patients with dry eye in our study. neither symptoms and signs of dry eye nor significant immunologic reaction was observed in the conjunctiva and in the LG of patients without ocular GVHD (Group II). There was as increase in the T Lymphocyte population, Of the helper lymphocyte (Th/i) and the supressor-cytotoxic lymphocyte (Ts/c) subpopulaton in the conjunctiva and in the LG of patients with ocular GVHD after the transplantation. Conclusions: Patients submitted to allogeneic BMT may develop ocular GHVD characterized by KCS. The immunohistochemical study of the conjunctiva and lacrimal gland biopsies of these patients suggested that these tissue are the target of the T cell mediated immunological reaction.