Article
Immunology
Lena Royston, Eva Royston, Stavroula Masouridi-Levrat, Nathalie Vernaz, Yves Chalandon, Christian Van Delden, Dionysios Neofytos
Summary: The study demonstrated that primary anti-CMV letermovir prophylaxis significantly reduced the incidence of CMV infection in high-risk patients after HCT, decreasing the need for treatment and associated costs. Letermovir also showed positive effects on platelet reconstitution and renal function.
Article
Immunology
Vera Portillo, Stavroula Masouridi-Levrat, Lena Royston, Sabine Yerly, Manuel Schibler, Maria Mappoura, Sarah Morin, Federica Giannotti, Anne-Claire Mamez, Christian van Delden, Yves Chalandon, Dionysios Neofytos
Summary: Positive CMV serology in allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant recipients (allo-HCTRs) may be false-positive due to transfusion-associated passive immunity. Reclassifying CMV status can help accurately assess the risk of CMV infection in these patients.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Lena Royston, Stavroula Masouridi-Levrat, Verena Gotta, Eva Royston, Caroline Pressacco-Brossier, Yasmine Abi Aad, David Tonoli, Abderrahim Karmime, Murielle Jayo, Christian Van Delden, Pierre Lescuyer, Marc Pfister, Yves Chalandon, Dionysios Neofytos
Summary: This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of letermovir, an anti-cytomegalovirus drug, in hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients. The results showed that the blood concentration of letermovir remained stable during treatment, but had no noticeable associations with clinical efficacy. The study also found potential associations between concomitantly administered drugs and adverse events, highlighting the need for further research.
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2022)
Review
Virology
Carlos Solano, Estela Gimenez, Eliseo Albert, Jose L. Pinana, David Navarro
Summary: Letermovir has been approved by the US FDA for prophylaxis of CMV infection in adult allogeneic stem cell transplant recipients. Real-world experience has validated the clinical trial results, showing that it significantly reduces the risk of CMV infection and improves survival. However, further investigation is needed to address issues such as viral load threshold, impact on CMV-specific T-cell responses, and prevention of LMV-resistant strains.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL VIROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Lara Chavaz, Lena Royston, Stavroula Masouridi-Levrat, Anne-Claire Mamez, Federica Giannotti, Sarah Morin, Christian Van Delden, Yves Chalandon, Dionysios Neofytos
Summary: In this single-center study, we found a 23% incidence of clinically significant CMV infection during the first 100 days after discontinuation of letermovir prophylaxis in 61 allogeneic HCT recipients. This infection mainly occurred in haploidentical HCT recipients and was not associated with CMV-DNAemia under letermovir.
OPEN FORUM INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Hematology
Joshua A. Hill, Danniel Zamora, Hu Xie, Laurel A. Thur, Colleen Delaney, Ann Dahlberg, Steven A. Pergam, Wendy M. Leisenring, Michael Boeckh, Filippo Milano
Summary: Letermovir is effective in preventing clinically significant CMV infection after CBT, but there is a higher incidence of delayed-onset infections after discontinuation, requiring close monitoring and consideration for extended prophylaxis.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Marita Prohn, Carolyn R. Cho, Anders Viberg, Kevin Dykstra, Casey Davis, Philip Sabato, Julie Stone, Cyrus Badshah, Yoshihiko Murata, Randi Leavitt, Craig Fancourt, Sreeraj Macha
Summary: The study investigated the exposure-response relationships of letermovir in CMV prophylaxis, finding no significant impact of exposure on efficacy and onset time of clinically significant CMV infection. Adverse event incidence was also not found to be dependent on letermovir exposure. These results support the current dosing recommendations in various countries and regions.
CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Estela Gimenez, Manuel Guerreiro, Ignacio Torres, Cristobal Aguilar, Eliseo Albert, Juan Carlos Hernandez-Boluda, Rafael Hernani, Ariadna Perez, Paula Amat, Jose Luis Pinana, Juan Montoro, Carlos Solano, David Navarro
Summary: There is limited information on the natural kinetics of CMV DNAemia and CMV-specific T-cell reconstitution in allo-HSCT recipients undergoing LMV prophylaxis. This study found that CMV DNAemia cleared spontaneously in a high proportion of LMV patients, and LMV patients had a lower degree of CMV-specific T-cell reconstitution compared to non-LMV patients.
TRANSPLANT INFECTIOUS DISEASE
(2023)
Article
Hematology
Ian Pang, Peggy Chen, Gertrude V. Trinh, Mats Remberger, Igor Novitzky-Basso, Armin Gerbitz, Dennis D. Kim, Rajat Kumar, Wilson Lam, Arjun D. Law, Jeffrey H. Lipton, Auro Viswabandya, Ivan Pasic, Jonas Mattsson, Fotios V. Michelis
Summary: Letermovir prophylaxis starting at day +21 post-alloHCT reduces CMV reactivation, with no impact on posttransplant outcomes.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF HAEMATOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Surgery
Tobias Veit, Dieter Munker, Juergen Barton, Katrin Milger, Teresa Kauke, Bruno Meiser, Sebastian Michel, Michael Zoller, Hans Nitschko, Oliver T. Keppler, Jurgen Behr, Nikolaus Kneidinger
Summary: This study assessed the therapeutic efficacy of letermovir in lung transplant recipients with difficult to treat CMV infections. Most patients responded rapidly to letermovir treatment, showing significant reduction in CMV viral load and clearance of infection. However, a small percentage of patients developed a mutation conferring resistance to letermovir.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF TRANSPLANTATION
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Alicja Sadowska-Klasa, Wendy M. Leisenring, Ajit P. Limaye, Michael Boeckh
Summary: A systematic review of randomized and observational studies from 2013-2023 indicated that antiviral preemptive therapy initiated at cytomegalovirus viral load thresholds between 2 and 3 log10 IU/mL had comparable cytomegalovirus disease rates. Thus, viral thresholds within this range appeared to effectively safeguard patients who did not receive prophylaxis.
JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Virology
Andrea Gilioli, Andrea Messerotti, Paola Bresciani, Angela Cuoghi, Valeria Pioli, Corrado Colasante, Francesca Bettelli, Davide Giusti, Fabio Forghieri, Leonardo Potenza, Francesca Donatelli, Rachele Giubbolini, Laura Galassi, Roberto Marasca, Federico Banchelli, Roberto D'Amico, Monica Pecorari, William Gennari, Tommaso Trenti, Patrizia Comoli, Mario Luppi, Franco Narni
Summary: The study retrospectively analyzed a cohort of patients who underwent HSCT and found that CMV clinically significant infection (CS-CMVi) occurred in 48% of prophylactically treated patients, but it did not impact relapse incidence or overall survival. Additionally, the use of CMV-IG alone as prophylactic therapy did not effectively prevent CMV reactivation.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL VIROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Surgery
Stephanie Golob, Jaya Batra, Ersilia M. DeFilippis, Matan Uriel, Matt Carey, Maureen Gaine, Angelo Mabasa, Justin Fried, Jayant Raikelkar, Susan Restaino, Sun Hi Lee, Farhana Latif, Melana Yuzefpolskaya, Paolo C. Colombo, Jason Choe, David Majure, Douglas Jennings, Marcus R. Pereira, Kevin Clerkin, Gabriel Sayer, Nir Uriel
Summary: This study evaluated the safety and efficacy of Letermovir as a prophylactic agent for CMV in heart transplant recipients. The results showed that Letermovir is an effective alternative to valganciclovir, but close monitoring for breakthrough CMV and calcineurin inhibitor levels is necessary.
CLINICAL TRANSPLANTATION
(2022)
Article
Virology
David Beauvais, Christine Robin, Anne Thiebaut, Sophie Alain, Valerie Coiteux, Sophie Ducastelle-Lepretre, Ambroise Marcais, Patrice Ceballos, Alienor Xhaard, Rabah Redjoul, Stephaine Nguyen, Eolia Brissot, Magalie Joris, Pascal Turlure, Marie-Therese Rubio, Patrice Chevallier, Nathalie Benard, Camille Liautard, Ibrahim Yakoub-Agha
Summary: We report the results of a French compassionate program using letermovir for primary prophylaxis in high-risk transplant patients. Letermovir was found to be effective with low rates of clinically significant CMV infection, suggesting its potential as a treatment option.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL VIROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Virology
Adnan Alsumali, Roy F. Chemaly, Jonathan Graham, Yiling Jiang, Sanjay Merchant, LaStella Miles, Jonathan Schelfhout, Joe Yang, Yuexin Tang
Summary: This study evaluated the cost-effectiveness of letermovir prophylaxis versus no prophylaxis in adult cytomegalovirus-seropositive allo-HCT recipients for preventing CMV infection and disease. The results showed that letermovir prophylaxis was a cost-effective option, leading to increased quality-adjusted life years and direct medical costs compared to no prophylaxis, with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of $25,046/QALY gained. Sensitivity analyses demonstrated the robustness of the findings, with a high probability of letermovir being cost-effective.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL VIROLOGY
(2021)
Letter
Biophysics
Mihaela Sava, Veronika Battig, Sabine Gerull, Jakob R. Passweg, Nina Khanna, Christian Garzoni, Bernhard Gerber, Nicolas J. Mueller, Urs Schanz, Christoph Berger, Yves Chalandon, Christian van Delden, Dionysios Neofytos, Susanne Stampf, Fabian C. Franzeck, Maja Weisser
BONE MARROW TRANSPLANTATION
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Laetitia Souchet, Stavroula Masouridi, Ambroise Marcais, Ahmad Ibrahim, Celine Chauvel, Eric Turquet, Marion Derail, Ibrahim Yakoub-Agha, Roberto Crocchiolo
Summary: Acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) is a serious complication of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation that can negatively impact the prognosis post-transplantation. The 12th workshop of the Francophone Society of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy (SFGM-TC) provided updates on diagnostic modalities for aGVHD. The conventional prevention and treatment schemes for aGVHD were clarified, and new therapeutic options were discussed.
BULLETIN DU CANCER
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Amandine Pradier, Samuel Cordey, Marie-Celine Zanella, Astrid Melotti, Sisi Wang, Anne-Claire Mamez, Yves Chalandon, Stavroula Masouridi-Levrat, Laurent Kaiser, Federico Simonetta, Diem-Lan Vu
Summary: This study reveals a potential association between the non-pathogenic HPgV-1 virus and immunomodulation after allo-HSCT, suggesting that HPgV-1 may impair NK cell immune-reconstitution. This provides initial evidence for the potential impact of HPgV-1 infection.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Marjorie Vieira Batista, Maria Piedad Ussetti, Ying Jiang, Dionysios Neofytos, Anita Cassoli Cortez, Diego Feriani, Jayr Schmidt-Filho, Ivan Leonardo Avelino Franca-Silva, Issam Raad, Ray Hachem
Summary: This study compares the clinical outcomes and safety of Isavuconazole, Voriconazole, and an amphotericin B-based regimen in treating invasive fungal infections (IFIs) in immunocompromised patients with malignancies and transplants. Isavuconazole shows better safety profile compared to Voriconazole and amphotericin B. Factors such as age, obesity, renal insufficiency, and diabetes do not affect the response to antifungal therapy and overall outcome.
Article
Microbiology
Davide Bosetti, Chiara Bernardi, Marie Maulini, Federica Giannotti, Anne-Claire Mamez, Stavroula Masouridi-Levrat, Yves Chalandon, Dionysios Neofytos
Summary: We present two allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation recipients (HCTr) treated with pritelivir for acyclovir-resistant/refractory (r/r) HSV infection based on the expanded access program of the pritelivir manufacturer. Outpatient treatment with pritelivir was administered, with partial response by week 1 of treatment and complete response by week 4 of treatment in both patients. No adverse events were noted. Pritelivir appears to be an effective and safe option for the management of acyclovir-r/r HSV infections in highly immunocompromised patients in an outpatient setting.
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2023)
Letter
Oncology
Zuleika Calderin Sollet, Antonia Schafer, Sylvie Ferrari-Lacraz, Stavroula Masouridi-Levrat, Anne-Claire Mamez, Amandine Pradier, Federico Simonetta, Yves Chalandon, Jean Villard, Stephane Buhler
Article
Virology
Marie-Celine Zanella, Diem-Lan Vu, Krisztina Hosszu-Fellous, Dionysios Neofytos, Chistian Van Delden, Lara Turin, Antoine Poncet, Federico Simonetta, Stavroula Masouridi-Levrat, Yves Chalandon, Samuel Cordey, Laurent Kaiser
Summary: Metagenomics identified previously unrecognized viruses in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) patients, highlighting their potential as sources of infection. This observational cohort study aimed to investigate the prevalence and dynamics of DNA and RNA viruses in the plasma of allo-HSCT recipients for one year post-transplant. TTV infection was observed in 97% of patients, followed by HPgV-1 (prevalence: 26-36%). Viral loads for TTV and HPgV-1 peaked at month 3. Multiple Polyomaviridae viruses were detected in over 10% of patients. HPyV6 and HPyV7 had a prevalence of 27% and 12% respectively at month 3, while CMV had a prevalence of 27%. The other viruses had low prevalence rates, and co-infections were observed in 72% of patients at month 3. Further research is needed to understand the relationship between these viral infections, immune reconstitution, and clinical outcomes.
Article
Immunology
Dionysios Neofytos, Susanne Stampf, Linard D. Hoessly, Matilde D'Asaro, Gael Nguyen Tang, Katia Boggian, Cedric Hirzel, Nina Khanna, Oriol Manuel, Nicolas J. Mueller, Christian Van Delden
Summary: This retrospective study analyzed data from the Swiss Transplant Cohort Study registry to describe the epidemiology of bacteremia in solid organ transplant recipients (SOTr) during the first year post-transplant. The incidence of bacteremia varied among different organ transplant types and has decreased in recent years. Risk factors for bacteremia included age, diabetes, cardiopulmonary diseases, transplant complications, rejection, and fungal infections.
OPEN FORUM INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Lara Chavaz, Lena Royston, Stavroula Masouridi-Levrat, Anne-Claire Mamez, Federica Giannotti, Sarah Morin, Christian Van Delden, Yves Chalandon, Dionysios Neofytos
Summary: In this single-center study, we found a 23% incidence of clinically significant CMV infection during the first 100 days after discontinuation of letermovir prophylaxis in 61 allogeneic HCT recipients. This infection mainly occurred in haploidentical HCT recipients and was not associated with CMV-DNAemia under letermovir.
OPEN FORUM INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Davide Bosetti, Dionysios Neofytos
Summary: This review focuses on the epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment strategies of azole-resistant IA, mainly in patients with hematologic malignancies. The global increase in azole resistance in Aspergillus spp. is likely due to environmental pressure and prolonged prophylaxis and treatment in immunocompromised patients. The challenges in therapeutic approaches include multidrug-resistant strains, drug interactions, side effects, and patient-related conditions. Rapid recognition of resistant Aspergillus spp. strains is crucial for initiating appropriate antifungal regimens, especially in allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation recipients. Further studies are needed to understand the resistance mechanisms and optimize diagnostic methods, while continuous surveillance studies are necessary to monitor the prevalence of azole resistance among Aspergillus spp. in the environment and among patients.
CURRENT FUNGAL INFECTION REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Vera Portillo, Stavroula Masouridi-Levrat, Lena Royston, Sabine Yerly, Manuel Schibler, Maria Mappoura, Sarah Morin, Federica Giannotti, Anne-Claire Mamez, Christian van Delden, Yves Chalandon, Dionysios Neofytos
Summary: Positive CMV serology in allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant recipients (allo-HCTRs) may be false-positive due to transfusion-associated passive immunity. Reclassifying CMV status can help accurately assess the risk of CMV infection in these patients.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Oriol Manuel, Mirjam Laager, Cedric Hirzel, Dionysios Neofytos, Laura N. Walti, Gideon Hoenger, Isabelle Binet, Aurelia Schnyder, Susanne Stampf, Michael Koller, Matteo Mombelli, Min Jeong Kim, Matthias Hoffmann, Katrin Koenig, Christoph Hess, Anne-Valerie Burgener, Pietro E. Cippa, Kerstin Huebel, Thomas F. Mueller, Daniel Sidler, Suzan Dahdal, Franziska Suter-Riniker, Jean Villard, Andrea Zbinden, Giuseppe Pantaleo, Nasser Semmo, Karine Hadaya, Natalia Enriquez, Pascal R. Meylan, Marc Froissart, Dela Golshayan, Thomas Fehr, Uyen Huynh-Do, Manuel Pascual, Christian van Delden, Hans H. Hirsch, Peter Jueni, Nicolas J. Mueller, Swiss Transplant Cohort Study STCS
Summary: This study examined the use of immune monitoring to individualize the duration of antiviral prophylaxis after transplantation. The results showed that immune monitoring led to a significant reduction in prophylaxis duration, but did not establish noninferiority in terms of the primary outcome of CMV infection.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Matteo Mombelli, Dionysios Neofytos, Uyen Huynh-Do, Javier Sanchez-Cespedes, Susanne Stampf, Dela Golshayan, Suzan Dahdal, Guido Stirnimann, Aurelia Schnyder, Christian Garzoni, Reto M. Venzin, Lorenzo Magenta, Melanie Schonenberger, Laura Walti, Cedric Hirzel, Aline Munting, Michael Dickenmann, Michael Koller, John-David Aubert, Jurg Steiger, Manuel Pascual, Thomas F. Mueller, Mace Schuurmans, Christoph Berger, Isabelle Binet, Jean Villard, Nicolas J. Mueller, Adrian Egli, Elisa Cordero, Christian van Delden, Oriol Manuel
Summary: The use of MF59-adjuvanted or high-dose influenza vaccine in solid-organ transplant recipients was safe and resulted in a higher vaccine response rate.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Letter
Biophysics
Silvio Ragozzino, Nicolas J. Mueller, Dionysios Neofytos, Jakob Passweg, Antonia Mueller, Michael Medinger, Christian Van Delden, Stavroula Masouridi-Levrat, Yves Chalandon, Sarah Tschudin-Sutter, Nina Khanna, Swiss Transplant Cohort Study
BONE MARROW TRANSPLANTATION
(2023)