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Infections Post Transplant

Pulmonary infection with microsporidia after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation

Bone Marrow Transplantation volume 33, pages 299–302 (2004)Cite this article

Summary:

Microsporidia are obligate, intracellular protozoal parasites that can be pathogenic in immunocompromised individuals. The majority of cases of microsporidiosis have been documented in patients with HIV, and only a few case reports exist of infection in solid organ transplant patients. We report the first case of pulmonary microsporidial infection in an allogeneic bone marrow transplant recipient in the US. The patient was a recipient of a T-cell-depleted graft who succumbed to complications from respiratory failure 63 days post transplant. The diagnosis was made post mortem by electron microscopy and confirmed with PCR. Although rare, microsporidial infection should be considered in the differential diagnosis of unexplained pulmonary infection in bone marrow transplant patients.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Oncology, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, 19104, PA, USA

    D T Teachey & N Bunin

  2. Department of Pathology, George Washington University, Washington, 20037, DC, USA

    P Russo

  3. Department of Pathology, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, 19104, PA, USA

    J M Orenstein

  4. Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Covington, 70433, LA, USA

    E S Didier & C Bowers

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  1. D T Teachey
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  2. P Russo
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  5. C Bowers
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  6. N Bunin
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Correspondence to D T Teachey.

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Teachey, D., Russo, P., Orenstein, J. et al. Pulmonary infection with microsporidia after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. Bone Marrow Transplant 33, 299–302 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bmt.1704327

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bmt.1704327

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