Kidney Transplant Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Kidney Transplant, including details on risks, prognosis, procedure, surgery, organ donation.

Cure of disseminated cryptococcal infection in a renal allograft recipient after addition of gamma-interferon to anti-fungal therapy.

Summers SA, Dorling A, Boyle JJ, Shaunak S

Department of Renal Medicine, Hammersmith Hospitals, London, UK. shaunsummers@hotmail.com

The immunosuppressive regimens that are used in solid organ transplantation are potent inhibitors of Th0 as well as Th1 and Th2 cell-mediated immune responses. This predisposes patients to disseminated cryptococcal infections. Mortality in such patients remains very high despite advances in anti-fungal chemotherapy. We describe a case of disseminated cryptococcal disease in a renal allograft recipient that failed to respond to prolonged treatment with several anti-fungal drugs. However, addition of the immuno-modulator, interferon-gamma, resulted in the formation of granulomas and the resolution of his disease within 4-6 weeks. As we cannot find a similar example of combination therapy for disseminated cryptococcal disease in the solid organ transplant literature, we propose that interferon-gamma could be used in synergy with anti-fungal drugs to cure disseminated cryptococcal infections in solid organ transplant patients.

Published 5 July 2005 in Am J Transplant, 5(8): 2067-9.
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