FATAL PNEUMOCOCCAL INFECTIONS FOLLOWING ALLOGENEIC BONE-MARROW TRANSPLANT

Six cases of fatal pneumococcal sepsis are described, occurring in the post-allograft setting, between 3 and 39 months after transplantation . Five of the six patients were suffering from chronic graft-versus-ho st disease and were receiving immunosuppressive therapy, Most were rec eiving prophylactic antibiotic therapy, This represents approximately 2% of the allograft population treated during the study period who sur vived for >3 months after transplant, Pneumococcal sepsis is thus stil l a significant cause of death after allogeneic BMT and approaches to minimise its occurrence are discussed.