[Treatment of cytomegalovirus pneumonia with ganciclovir in an immunocompetent infant].
Cytomegalovirus infection is common in the immunodepressed child, and because of its severity, is usually treated with intravenous ganciclovir. It is also common in the immunocompetent child, but is usually asymptomatic, so that there is no indication for ganciclovir treatment, because of the potential toxicity of the drug.


METHODS
We report a case of symptomatic cytomegalovirus infection in a six-week-old infant, presenting with interstitial pneumonia associated with weight and height growth failure. Cytomegalovirus was found by polymerase chain reaction in the bronchovalveolar lavage fluid and in the blood. This child was successfully treated with 15 days of intravenous ganciclovir, and experienced no adverse effect of this treatment. The child was free of symptoms and free of immunodeficiency after seven months of follow-up.


CONCLUSIONS
Immunocompetent patients with cytomegalovirus infection, pulmonary involvement and weight and height growth failure, may benefit from intravenous ganciclovir treatment. Further studies, with larger number of cases, are yet needed to define more precisely the indications of such a treatment in the immunocompetent child.
Siret
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Clinique médicale pédiatrique, hôpital de la Mère et de l'Enfant, CHU Nantes, 9, Quai-Moncousu, 44093 Nantes, France. pediatrie@chsn.fr
David
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D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D015774:Ganciclovir / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D007121:Immunocompetence; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D011024:Pneumonia, Viral / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods
D000998:Antiviral Agents; D015774:Ganciclovir
Traitement d'une pneumopathie à cytomégalovirus par ganciclovir chez un nourrisson immunocompétent.