Respiratory virus infections in pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Respiratory virus infections (RVI) have become an increasingly appreciated problem in the hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) population. A retr ospective analysis of 274 patients undergoing 281 HSCT at St. Jude Children 's Research Hospital from January 1994 through December 1997 was performed. Medical and clinical laboratory records were reviewed beginning at the ons et of conditioning through the year following each HSCT, and the analysis w as done for the first RVI only. Thirty-two (11%) of 281 HSCT cases develope d a RN, I during the first year post-HSCT. The most frequent cause of RVI w as human parainfluenza virus type 3. Univariate analysis was performed to d etermine the association between risk factors and the cumulative incidence of RVI. Respiratory viruses are frequent causes of infections in the first year post-HSCT in the pediatric population. Only allogeneic transplant and the degree of acute or chronic graft versus host disease were found to be s tatistically significant risk factors for RVI.