Treatment of gancyclovir resistant cytomegalovirus with foscarnet: a report of two cases occurring after bone marrow transplantation.
Overview
abstract
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is common in patients who undergo allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. Gancyclovir is useful in treating CMV infections. Resistance to gancyclovir is rare and has, thus far, not been reported in the setting of BMT. Two patients with CMV infections unresponsive to gancyclovir were successfully treated with foscarnet. 10-15% of CMV infections are resistant initially or develop resistance to gancyclovir. Both patients had an adequate trial of gancyclovir and resistance developed over time. While we did not document resistance in the laboratory there was dramatic clinical improvement with foscarnet.