Toxoplasmosis in Pediatric Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Patients. 2021

Hayden T Schwenk, and Aslam Khan, and Krystal Kohlman, and Alice Bertaina, and Stephanie Cho, and Jose G Montoya, and Despina G Contopoulos-Ioannidis
Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford, Palo Alto, California; Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California. Electronic address: hschwenk@stanford.edu.

Infection due to the protozoa Toxoplasma gondii can be life-threatening in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) recipients. Most cases of toxoplasmosis in HSCT recipients result from reactivation of latent infection in individuals who were Toxoplasma-seropositive before transplantation and did not receive appropriate prophylaxis. Pretransplantation screening with Toxoplasma IgG and IgM antibodies is suggested for all allogeneic HSCT recipients and their donors and all autologous HSCT recipients. Prevention of toxoplasmosis in T. gondii-seropositive HSCT recipients requires primary prophylaxis, preemptive screening, or both. Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) is the preferred agent for Toxoplasma prophylaxis and should be continued for 6 months or until the patient is no longer receiving immunosuppression, whichever is longer, assuming that immune reconstitution has occurred. Preemptive weekly screening with whole blood Toxoplasma PCR should be considered for seropositive HSCT recipients if prophylaxis cannot be given or if prophylaxis other than TMP-SMX is used. The signs, symptoms, and radiographic findings of toxoplasmosis in HSCT recipients can be nonspecific, and the diagnosis requires a high degree of suspicion. Common presentations include fever, encephalopathy with mental status changes or seizures, and pneumonia. A Toxoplasma PCR analysis from whole blood (and other body fluids/tissues according to clinical symptoms) should be obtained in patients in whom there is a concern for toxoplasmosis. Treatment with oral pyrimethamine, sulfadiazine, and leucovorin for at least 6 weeks is the first-line therapy and should be followed by secondary prophylaxis. In this article, we review the published literature regarding the epidemiology, clinical presentation, treatment, and prevention of toxoplasmosis in HSCT recipients.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D002648 Child A person 6 to 12 years of age. An individual 2 to 5 years old is CHILD, PRESCHOOL. Children
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D014122 Toxoplasma A genus of protozoa parasitic to birds and mammals. T. gondii is one of the most common infectious pathogenic animal parasites of man. Toxoplasma gondii,Toxoplasma gondius,Toxoplasmas,gondius, Toxoplasma
D014123 Toxoplasmosis The acquired form of infection by Toxoplasma gondii in animals and man. Toxoplasma gondii Infection,Infection, Toxoplasma gondii
D015662 Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination A drug combination with broad-spectrum antibacterial activity against both gram-positive and gram-negative organisms. It is effective in the treatment of many infections, including PNEUMOCYSTIS PNEUMONIA in AIDS. Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole Combination,Abactrim,Bactifor,Bactrim,Biseptol,Biseptol-480,Centran,Centrin,Co-Trimoxazole,Cotrimoxazole,Drylin,Eslectin,Eusaprim,Insozalin,Kepinol,Kepinol Forte,Lescot,Metomide,Oriprim,Septra,Septrin,Sulfamethoxazole-Trimethoprim Combination,Sulprim,Sumetrolim,TMP SMX,TMP-SMX,Trimedin,Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole,Trimethoprimsulfa,Trimezole,Trimosulfa,Biseptol 480,Biseptol480,Co Trimoxazole,Sulfamethoxazole Trimethoprim Combination,Trimethoprim Sulfamethoxazole,Trimethoprim Sulfamethoxazole Combination
D018380 Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Transfer of HEMATOPOIETIC STEM CELLS from BONE MARROW or BLOOD between individuals within the same species (TRANSPLANTATION, HOMOLOGOUS) or transfer within the same individual (TRANSPLANTATION, AUTOLOGOUS). Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation has been used as an alternative to BONE MARROW TRANSPLANTATION in the treatment of a variety of neoplasms. Stem Cell Transplantation, Hematopoietic,Transplantation, Hematopoietic Stem Cell
D066027 Transplant Recipients Individuals receiving tissues or organs transferred from another individual of the same or different species, or from within the same individual. Recipient, Transplant,Recipients, Transplant,Transplant Recipient

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