Background and Objectives: Bone marrow transplant patients often rely on catheters for various medical procedures, including the administration of medications and blood draws. However, catheters can sometimes lead to complications and infections, significantly affecting a patient's overall health and recovery. The purpose of this study was to investigate common catheter infections in bone marrow transplant patients at Baqai 2 Hospital of Ahvaz.Subjects and Methods This retrospective study included all patients (children/adults) undergoing bone marrow transplants at Bagai 2 Hospital of Ahvaz from 2021 to 2022. Catheter culture results, including bacterial isolation using standard microbiological methods (culture on BA medium, nutrient agar medium, and Cetrimide agar base), were recorded on a researcher-developed checklist. The data were subsequently analyzed using SPSS software, and the rate of catheter infection, as well as other associated factors, were investigated using the chi-square statistical test.Results A total of 138 transplant patients were included in the study, with ages spanning 4 to 69 years. The average length of hospital stay for these patients over the two years was 23.04 days. Patient diagnoses varied, with Hodgkin's disease and multiple myeloma each accounting for 23.08% of cases. AML and neuroblastoma each represented 15.38%, while ALL, PCSNSL, and thalassemia major each made up 7.7% of the cohort. Regarding catheter cultures, there were no positive cultures in 2021. However, in 2022, the prevalence of positive cultures was 8.30% (0.002%-38.47%), which was specifically identified in a 52-year-old patient with diabetes.Conclusion Underlying disease in bone marrow transplant patients can play an important role in catheter infections.

Background: Bone marrow transplant (BMT) recipients are prone to bacterial, viral and fungal infections. Bacterial infection is considered as one of the common and serious complications in bone marrow transplant recipients. The aim of this study was to determine the rate of bacterial infections in bone marrow transplant recipients. Methods: Fifty-two blood and 25 catheter samples were obtained from 23 patients who were hospitalized in bone marrow transplantation unit in Shariati Hospital in Tehran. Bacterial strains were isolated and identified by the standard conventional bacteriological methods. Antimicrobial susceptibility was performed according to the guidelines from NCCLS using 18 different antibiotics. Results: The strains of Staphylococci, Streptococcus viridans, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli were isolated from 8(66.7%), 1(8.3%), 2(16.7%) and the 1(8.3%) cases, respectively. Conclusion: Current study indicated that the bacterial infections particularly those caused by the Gram-positive cocci were still as important problem in bone marrow transplant.

Background & purpose: In recent years, the role of adenoviruses in infection and disease in recipients of bone marrow transplantation (BMT) has been studied. It supposes that adenoviral infections are prevalent in these patients Due to using medicines for preventing transplant rejection. This study was performed to compare the incidence of adenoviruses in urine samples taken before and after BMT from individuals undergoing BMT. In addition, The correlation between age, sex, etiology and kind of transplantation and adenovirus infection was studied. Materials and Methods: From 11 November 2002 to 12 June 2003, 91 patients received BMT in Hematology, Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplantation center of Tehran University of Medical Sciences. From 72 patients, 2 urine samples were taken before and 4 weeks after transplantation The DNA samples were examined by PCR using primers that detect 134 bp sequence in Hexon gene shared in human adenovirus DNA was extracted using Phenol-Chloroform method and concentrated by sodium acetate and ethanol.In Faculty of Medicine, Shahed University. Results: Adenovirus DNA was found in 39 patients (54.2%) before transplantation and in 37 patients (51.4%) after that. Both before and after BMT samples were negative for adenoviruses in 21 patients and positive in 25 patients. In 14 patients only before BMT and in 12 patients only after BMT urine samples were positive. No statistical difference between before and after BMT viruria was shown by McNemar’s test. Also, no statistical difference was shown between mean age of infected and non-infected patients by t-test. In spite of higher frequency of males, malignant and allogeneic transplant among studied patients, there was no statistical difference between two mentioned patients (P>0.05). Conclusion: In the present study, increase of prevalence of viruria in patients after bone marrow transplantation was not seen. In adition, there was no correlation between patients with various age, sex and etiology and kind of transplantation. Further studies about prevalence of adenovirus in patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation. recommended for prevention of mortality by better take care of patients and treatment by antiviral drugs or decrease in suppressive drugs.  

Background and Objectives: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is an important pathogen in patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation. The prevalence of CMV varies from 30-100% in different countries as shown by seroepidemiological studies. Only 20-25% of patients develop CMV disease. Because of the similarity between CMV and GVHD and the different therapies required, detection of viral load will be effective in patients' survival.Materials and Methods: 51 recipients of BMT were monitored for 100 days post-BMT during which the samples were collected weekly. The Real-Time PCR was developed for quantitation of CMV viral DNA, using TaqMan technology. For generation of standard curve, UL83 gene from CMV was cloned into a plasmid using a T/A cloning procedure. RQ-PCR assay was preformed in parallel with pp65 antigenemia assay on 415 samples.Results: The results obtained by both techniques were significantly correlated (p<0.01). We could detect 13×101 -15×107 (CMV DNA copies/2×105 cells) by RQ-PCR method. About 76% of patients developed at least one episode of CMV reactivation. First positive result of RQ-PCR appeared 13 days earlier than of pp65 antigenemia. After preemptive therapy, 16 days were required to achieve negative result by RQ-PCR.Conclusions: Both assays were highly correlated; however, RQ-PCR was more sensitive than the antigenemia assay. After preemptive therapy, negative results of RQ-PCR were the best indicator to determine the endpoint of treatment and its success.

Background and Objective: The present study investigated the effect of donor stem cells on improving transplant survival and reducing the need to use repressive drugs in patients with kidney transplant. Methods: The clinical trial included two groups of patients. A total of five patients received stem cells prepared from the peripheral blood (18– 23 ×109 cells/case) four times before and after the transplantation (intervention group). This was in addition to renal transplantation from an unrelated donor. The control group comprised eight patients who received renal transplantation from non-relative recipients. The level of peripheral blood chimerism was determined by the incompatibility of HLA and using a PCR-flow cytometry combined method in the first, third, and twelfth-month after the transplantation. Results: CMV infection was present in 12. 5% of patients in the control group whereas 37. 5% had urinary tract infection and 12. 5% had digestive problems. Five out of eight patients in the control group acutely rejected the transplant in comparison with two out of five patients in the intervention group. Additionally, in each group, a case of exponential rejection was reported. The evaluation of peripheral active chimerism in two patients with stable transplant and normal function showed that peripheral chimerism was detectable up to 3 months after transplantation. No sign of transplant rejection was observed in the presence of chimerism. Conclusion: Injection of donor stem cells can cause peripheral chimerism in kidney transplant recipients. The injection has a direct relation to the improvement of transplant function and increases in its survival.

Background and Objectives: Different genotypes of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) glycoprotein B (gB) producing gene may influence the different pattern of HCMV in Bone marrow Transplant (BMT) recipients. So in this investigation the prevalence and role of different HCMV-UL55 genotypes in multiple post transplant clinical presentations were studied.Materials and Methods: In this cohort and retrospective study blood (plasma and Buffy coat) and urine samples were collected for 6 years from 110 BMT patients pre-transplantation and followed weekly for 100 days post transplantation.HCMV-UL55-nested-PCR method was optimized and used for detection and genotyping of HCMV infection in collected samples of BMT recipients. The prevalence of HCMV UL55 genotypes were analyzed by RFLP method for all UL55-nested PCR positive samples.Results: UL55-nested-PCR positive results were diagnosed in plasma 3540/4950 (71.5%), Buffy coat  3634/4950(73.4%) and urine 3292/4950 (66.5%) samples of BMT patients. Also mean of 25% of transplant donors were infected totally with HCMV infection. The decline pattern of the prevalence of UL55 genotypes in plasma, Buffy coat and Urine samples were as followed, respectively: gB2[gt] gB3[gt] gB1[gt] gB4, gB2[gt] gB1[gt] gB3[gt] gB4 and gB2[gt] gB3[gt] gB1[gt] gB4. The gB gene variations that may influence the pathogen city of HCVM in transplant patients.Conclusion: Detection of gB2 UL55 genotype in the most clinical samples of BMT patients and also diagnosis of significant association between different genotypes of HCMV-UL55 strains with clinical outcome of transplant patients compared with the result of another HCMV researchers, announced the need of completed studies focused on the pattern variation of HCMV-UL55 genotype in clinical complications of BMT recipients.