Invasive fungal infections in pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients

AbstractBackground: Pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients are at high risk of invasive fungal infections (IFIs). Methods: To characterize IFIs and changes in fungal organisms over time in pediatric HSCT patients, we performed a retrospective cohort studyof all HSCTs performed in pediatric patients at UCLA between 1991 and 2006. Results: In all, 318 patients underwent 324 HSCT transplants over the 15-year period and 69 unique fungal infections were identified in 47 transplant patients. The overall incidence of fungal infections in HSCT recipients was 14.5%, with predominant organisms including Candida species (51%) and Aspergillus species (26%), with Candida albicans accounting for 18.8% of all fungal species. The distribution of organisms over time demonstrated a strong trend towards an increase in rare molds in more recent years. The respiratory tract was the main site of infection (52.6%), with urine and blood also noted as significant sites. Of all deaths in the patients with ...