Abstract

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is latent in the majority of adult humans. The reactivation of CMV causes pneumonia and gastrointestinal disease in severely immunosuppressed patients, who consequently suffer very high mortality due to CMV central nervous system disease. We report here a case involving a 28-year-old female patient with mycosis fungoides who underwent umbilical cord blood transplantation three times and developed CMV ventriculoencephalitis. The patient's CMV viremia was successfully preempted with ganciclovir (GCV) as indicated by undetectable CMV antigenemia; despite this successful treatment, the patient developed CMV ventriculoencephalitis. Foscarnet (FCV) therapy led to a temporary recovery, after which CMV ventriculoencephalitis recurred, and the patient died after receiving combination GCV and FCV therapy. Autopsy samples revealed CMV ventriculoencephalitis, as indicated by numerous inclusion-bearing cells (Owl's eye). It is likely that this patient harbored a GCV-resistant CMV strain; however, it was not possible to obtain nucleic acids suitable for use in assessing this possibility.

Full Text
Paper version not known

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.