ELEVATED ENDOGENOUS SERUM MACROPHAGE-COLONY-STIMULATING FACTOR IN THEEARLY-STAGE OF FUNGEMIA FOLLOWING BONE-MARROW TRANSPLANTATION

Murine studies have reported elevated serum macrophage colony-stimulat ing factor (M-CSF) concentrations in animals inoculated with fungus; h owever, the human cytokine response to fungemia has not been described . Endogenous M-CSF serum concentrations were measured in 18 autologous bone marrow transplant patients with positive blood fungal cultures. Seventeen of the 18 patients received the same high-dose chemotherapy regimen with autologous hematopoietic support. M-CSF concentrations we re determined in serum samples obtained 1 week before and within 2 day s of the first positive blood culture. Serum M-CSF rose more than thre e-fold in a majority of patients at the time of positive culture in co ntrast to concentrations obtained in the previous week (medians 11.1 a nd 2.8 ng/mL, respectively; p=0.001). Median values at the time of pos itive blood culture were also significantly higher than those obtained in a matched control group of patients without positive blood culture s (n=18; median 2.60 ng/mL; p=0.001). These data demonstrate that endo genous serum M-CSF is elevated in the early stages of human systemic f ungal infection and thus may have important diagnostic and therapeutic implications.