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Guidelines for preventing opportunistic infections among hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients
Insights
These guidelines offer evidence-based strategies for preventing opportunistic infections (OIs) in hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients. Adherence aims to reduce OI incidence and severity in HSCT patients.
Area of Science:
- Infectious Diseases
- Transplantation Medicine
- Public Health
Background:
- Hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients face increased risk of bacterial, viral, fungal, protozoal, and helminthic opportunistic infections (OIs).
- Current guidelines address preventing OIs in HSCT patients, encompassing hospital infection control, post-transplant living strategies, vaccinations, and stem cell safety.
- Guidelines cover disease-specific prevention for pediatric and adult, autologous and allogeneic HSCT recipients.
Framework:
- Evidence-based guidelines cosponsored by CDC, IDSA, and ABMT.
- Developed by a working group of experts in infectious diseases, transplantation, and public health.
- Recommendations are rated by strength and quality of supporting evidence.
Implementation:
- Guidelines provide information on preventing OIs, hospital infection control, safe living post-transplant, vaccinations, and HSCT safety.
- Disease-specific sections detail prevention of exposure and illness for various HSCT recipient types.
- Target audience includes HSCT recipients, close contacts, physicians, HSCT personnel, and public health professionals.
Implications:
- Adherence to guidelines is expected to decrease the number and severity of OIs in HSCT recipients.
- Enhances patient outcomes and quality of life post-transplantation.
- Standardizes and improves infection prevention protocols within HSCT centers.
Abstract:
CDC, the Infectious Disease Society of America, and the American Society of Blood and Marrow Transplantation have cosponsored these guidelines for preventing opportunistic infections (OIs) among hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients. The guidelines were drafted with the assistance of a working group of experts in infectious diseases, transplantation, and public health. For the purposes of this report, HSCTis defined as any transplantation of blood- or marrow-derived hematopoietic stem cells, regardless of transplant type (i.e., allogeneic or autologous) or cell source (i.e., bone marrow, peripheral blood, or placental or umbilical cord blood). Such OIs as bacterial, viral, fungal, protozoal, and helminth infections occur with increased frequency or severity among HSCT recipients. These evidence-based guidelines contain information regarding preventing OIs, hospital infection control, strategies for safe living after transplantation, vaccinations, and hematopoietic stem cell safety. The disease-specific sections address preventing exposure and disease for pediatric and adult and autologous and allogeneic HSCT recipients. The goal of these guidelines is twofold: to summarize current data and provide evidence-based recommendations regarding preventing OIs among HSCT patients. The guidelines were developed for use by HSCT recipients, their household and close contacts, transplant and infectious diseases physicians, HSCT center personnel, and public health professionals. For all recommendations, prevention strategies are rated by the strength of the recommendation and the quality of the evidence supporting the recommendation. Adhering to these guidelines should reduce the number and severity of OIs among HSCT recipients.