Use of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor in the treatment of acute infectious diseases

Infectious diseases continue to be a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States. Novel strategies directed at amplifying critical components of the host's immune system may be one potential adjuvant therapy. To date, studies with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) treatment have demonstrated favorable results, decreasing both morbidity and mortality in a variety of infectious disease models in non-neutropenic hosts. The recent completion of two clinical trials has also provided supportive data that G-CSF is effective in patients with serious infections. Most important, G-CSF does not produce any adverse consequences, which were of concern to some because of the capacity of G-CSF to enhance neutrophil production and function. This review focuses on current data suggesting that augmentation of the immune system with G-CSF is a promising new approach to adjuvant therapy in infectious diseases.