Annie Kirk

My dad is currently a patient at the bone marrow transplant center of the LDS Hospital. I asked his attending physician, Julie Asch, MD about the top 5 trends of infectious diseases in blood and bone marrow transplant patients.

1. Clostridium difficile (C Diff.). C. Diff is a bacterium that often affects patients in hospitals and long-term care facilities. The bacterium infests the intestinal tract resulting in the eradication of the normal gut flora. It can cause symptoms ranging from diarrhea to life-threatening inflammation of the colon. Bone and blood marrow transplant patients often contract C. Diff because of excessive use of antibiotics. As a result, the bacteria releases toxins that cause bloating, diarrhea, and abdominal pain making it difficult for patients to keep food down and maintain their weight.

2. Pneumonia. After a blood or bone marrow transplant, the immune function of the patient is close to zero. As a result, a compromised immune system allows bacteria to enter and infest the body through inhalation. Pneumonia, a lung infection, may include symptoms such as coughing, fever, chest pain, shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea. If a transplant patient gets pneumonia, it may result in death because the immune system of the patient cannot fight off the infection. This is why it is very important that the patient does not come into contact with sick visitors.

3. Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). Another infection of the respiratory system, RSV infects the lungs and breathing passages of the patient. It is a common infection in hospitals and specifically bone marrow transplant patients because their immune function is low and it is easily transmitted. Prevention is by strict attention to contact precautions such as handwashing and not sharing items such as cups, glasses, and utensils. There is no treatment for RSV, only oxygen therapy. Like pneumonia, it can be a very serious illness because the compromised immune system of the patient cannot fight off the virus.

4. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). MRSA is a bacterium that causes infections in different parts of the body. Transplant patients often contract this bacteria due to a low immune function, and it can become serious because it’s resistant to some commonly used antibiotics. The symptoms depend on where you’re infected. It often causes infections of the skin. MRSA is usually not a life threatening illness, but transplant patients are at a higher risk of a more serious infection since their bodies cannot fight off the infections.

5. E. Coli. Blood and bone marrow transplant patients must be very careful about the food they are ingesting. Foodborne illnesses are very common in these patients because their bodies cannot fight off the bacteria. E. coli has occurred with some patients, resulting in very serious digestive symptoms. To prevent E. coli, patients cannot eat raw or undercooked meat, fish, or eggs and must wash fruits and vegetables very well. They also must drink bottled water and avoid food that has been left at room temperature for more than two hours.