Infection prophylaxis

Infections remain an important cause of non-relapse mortality in HSCT recipients. Specific risk for infection is related to prior exposure history (e.g., relapse of latent infection), intensity of conditioning regimens and immunosuppression, and new exposures in the setting of altered host immune response. Prevention of infection by prophylactic and preemptive strategies has been associated with improvement in transplant outcomes over the past few decades. The introduction of new oral antivirals (e.g., valganciclovir) and antifungal compounds (e.g., posaconazole, voriconazole) in the past decade has allowed for a less toxic and more facile approach to infection prevention.