COLLECTION AND TRANSFUSION OF GRANULOCYTE CONCENTRATES FROM DONORS PRIMED WITH GRANULOCYTE STIMULATING FACTOR AND RESPONSE OF MYELOSUPPRESSED PATIENTS WITH ESTABLISHED INFECTION

Fifteen patients with prolonged neutropenia (a median of 23 days with granulocyte [PMN] less than or equal to 500/mu l) and established fung al infections that had not responded to adequate antifungal therapy we re transfused with PMN concentrates collected from 35 cytokine-primed granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (GCSF) donors. Patients received a median of six transfusions. Leukocytosis and granulocytosis were ob served within 24 hours of the first GCSF injection, which yielded conc entrates averaging 55 x 10(9) white blood cells and 41 x 10(9) PMN. Da ta analysis suggested that response might be related to the duration o f neutropenia and known infection, as patients given PMN tx earlier in the infectious course tended to have a better response. No significan t toxicity was observed in donors. (C) 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.