Bone marrow transplantation for acute leukemia using a histocompatible paternal donor

A bone marrow transplantation from an HLA-identical, MLC nonreactive paternal donor has been performed in a patient with acute lymphoblastic leukemia resistant to drug treatment. Prompt engraftment was documented; however, the patient died of interstitial pneumonitis due to cytomegalovirus 65 days after transplant. Clinical manifestation of graft-versus-host reaction was mild. Recurrence or persistence of leukemia was found at the time of death using cytogenetic markers and determination of the leukemic marker enzyme terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase.