The Burden of Bacterial and Viral Infections in Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant

Despite 3 decades of progress made in the management of bacterial and viral infections in immunosuppressed allogeneic stem cell transplant recipients, major treatment challenges remain. Increased used of nonmyeloablative conditioning and improved methods of stem cell procurement have led to a shortening of the preengraftment neutropenic period in transplant patients [1-3]. As a result, immune suppression associated with graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and the ever-frequent use of central venous catheters become the predominant risk factors for severe, often recurring, and sometimes lethal infections in the transplant population [3-5].