Opportunistic fungal and bacterial infection in the renal transplant recipient

The risk of opportunistic infection in the renal transplant recipient is determined by the interaction between two factors: the epidemiologic exposures the individual encounters within the community and the hospital and a complex function termed the net state of immunosuppression. There are two general categories of opportunistic fungal infection in this patient population: (1) disseminated primary or reactivation infection with one of the geographically restricted systemic mycoses (histoplasmosis, coccidioidomycosis, blastomycosis, and paracoccidioidomycosis) and (2) opportunistic infection with fungal species that rarely cause invasive infection in the normal host (Aspergillus species, Candida species, Cryptococcus neoformans, and the Mucoraceae), with these last usually being acquired within the hospital environment. Newly available azole compounds, fluconazole and itraconazole, are exciting new alternatives to amphotericin in the treatment of at least some of these infections. The three most important forms of opportunistic bacterial infections are those due to Listeria monocytogenes, Nocardia asteroides, and a variety of mycobacterial species. Clinical diseases with these first two are effectively prevented by low-dose trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole prophylaxis. There are two cardinal therapeutic rules to be followed by clinicians in dealing with these infections: prevention is better than treatment; when treatment is required, however, the major determinant of the success of therapy is the rapidity with which the diagnosis is made and effective therapy is initiated.