Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 21, 2026

Pre-clinical Evaluation of Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors for Treatment of Acute Leukemia
10:49

Pre-clinical Evaluation of Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors for Treatment of Acute Leukemia

Published on: September 18, 2013

17.5K

Anti-infective prophylaxis in pediatric patients with acute myeloid leukemia

Thomas Lehrnbecher1, Lillian Sung

  • 1Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Children's Hospital, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, D-60590 Frankfurt, Germany.

Expert Review of Hematology
|November 1, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Pediatric patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) face high infection risks. Prophylactic antifungals are recommended, while antibiotic use requires careful consideration due to resistance concerns.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Pediatric Hematology
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Pediatric patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are highly susceptible to infections.
  • Common pathogens include Gram-negative bacteria, viridans group streptococci, and fungi.
  • Non-pharmacological supportive care is standard, alongside antibiotic and antifungal prophylaxis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review infection prevention strategies in pediatric AML patients.
  • To evaluate the role of antibiotic and antifungal prophylaxis.
  • To assess the efficacy of hematopoietic growth factors and granulocyte transfusions.

Main Methods:

  • Review of current institutional practices for infection prevention in pediatric AML.
  • Analysis of the impact of antibiotic prophylaxis on bacterial resistance.
  • Evaluation of antifungal prophylaxis recommendations.
  • Assessment of data on hematopoietic growth factors and prophylactic granulocyte transfusions.

Main Results:

  • Antibiotic prophylaxis can reduce bacterial infections but may lead to resistance.
  • Antifungal prophylaxis is generally recommended for children with AML.
  • Hematopoietic growth factors have not improved survival rates.
  • The effectiveness of prophylactic granulocyte transfusions requires further investigation.

Conclusions:

  • Comprehensive infection prevention strategies are crucial for pediatric AML patients.
  • Balancing infection prevention with antimicrobial resistance is essential.
  • Further research is needed to determine the role of granulocyte transfusions in managing infections.

Keywords:
acute myeloid leukemiabacteriachildfungusgranulocyte transfusionhematopoietic growth factorinfection

More Related Videos

Intracellular Phosphoflow Cytometry of Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patient-Derived Xenotransplants07:38

Intracellular Phosphoflow Cytometry of Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patient-Derived Xenotransplants

Published on: June 6, 2025

940
Murine Model of Leukemia Relapse to Induction Chemotherapy for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia08:31

Murine Model of Leukemia Relapse to Induction Chemotherapy for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Published on: October 17, 2025

803

Related Concept Videos

Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Excretion01:26

Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Excretion

In pediatric medicine, understanding the renal function and drug elimination nuances is crucial for administering safe and effective treatments. Newborns, in particular, display markedly slower renal functions than adults, profoundly affecting how drugs are cleared from their bodies. This slower drug clearance requires clinicians to extend the dosing intervals for many medications to prevent drug accumulation and toxicity while ensuring therapeutic efficacy.One key area where these adjustments...
395
Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Overview and Drug Absorption01:23

Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Overview and Drug Absorption

Understanding the physiological differences in the pediatric population is crucial for effective pharmacotherapy. Neonates, infants, and children exhibit significant variations in gastric pH, gastric emptying time, intestinal transit time, and biliary function. These variations profoundly affect oral drug absorption, necessitating a nuanced approach to pediatric dosing.Neonates present with a unique physiological profile, having a gastric pH greater than 4 and faster and more irregular gastric...
918
Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Metabolism01:24

Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Metabolism

In pediatric care, understanding the nuances of hepatic drug metabolism is crucial, as it significantly differs from that of adults. This divergence is primarily due to the developmental stage of drug-metabolizing enzymes, which affects how medications are processed in the body. In neonates, for instance, the activity of Phase I enzymes—critical for the initial breakdown of drugs—is markedly reduced, functioning at just 20–40% of the levels seen in adults. This reduction poses...
391
Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Distribution01:17

Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Distribution

Drug distribution in the pediatric population exhibits unique challenges and considerations due to the physiological differences between children, particularly neonates and infants, and adults. A crucial aspect of pediatric pharmacology is understanding how these differences impact the pharmacokinetics of various drugs, necessitating age-specific dosing strategies to ensure efficacy and safety.Neonates and infants have a higher total body water content, ~75%–90% of their body weight,...
532
Differentiation of Common Myeloid Progenitor Cells01:15

Differentiation of Common Myeloid Progenitor Cells

Common myeloid progenitors (CMPs) are oligopotent cells that can differentiate into granulocytes and macrophages. Granulocytes and macrophages are essential for protecting the body against bacterial, viral, or fungal infections. They migrate from the bone marrow into the circulating blood to reach specific tissue sites where they differentiate and help in immune surveillance. However, they survive only for a few days and must be continuously made available to the organism to maintain a robust...
3.1K
Transmission-based Precautions II: Airborne and Protective Environment01:25

Transmission-based Precautions II: Airborne and Protective Environment

Transmission-based precautions are for patients infected or suspected to be infected (or colonized) with organisms posing a significant risk to others. The transmission precautions include airborne and protective environment precautions.
Airborne precautions:
Use airborne precautions when treating patients known or suspected to have diseases that spread through the air—for example, tuberculosis or measles. These organisms are present in smaller droplets expelled by an infected person and...
2.0K