title: Fulminant adenovirus hepatitis following unrelated bone marrow transplantation: failure of intravenous ribavirin therapy.
abstract: Fulminant hepatic failure due to adenovirus infection is a rare complication following stem cell transplantation. We report this complication in an unrelated bone marrow transplant recipient 30 weeks post-transplant. Treatment with intravenous ribavirin was started within 36 h of admission, but he succumbed to unusually fulminant hepatic failure. Adenovirus type 2 was isolated from stool surveillance samples and from post-mortem liver samples. Adenovirus DNA was detected by PCR in blood and sputum samples at admission and was identified in post-mortem liver tissue by electron microscopy. Implications of the failure of ribavirin therapy are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Haematology, Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, UK.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chakrabarti
authors.forename: K E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Collingham
authors.forename: C D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Fegan
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Milligan
mesh_terms: D000257:Adenoviridae Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000328:Adult; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006501:Hepatic Encephalopathy / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D008297:Male; D012254:Ribavirin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D012254:Ribavirin