title: Therapeutic drug monitoring of ganciclovir for postnatal cytomegalovirus infection in an extremely low birth weight infant: a case report.
abstract: Ganciclovir is a therapeutic choice for extremely premature infants with severe postnatal cytomegalovirus disease, but little is known about its optimal dose size and dosing interval for them.
  
  
  
  We treated an extremely premature female infant with postnatal cytomegalovirus infection with intravenous administration of ganciclovir since 49 days of life (postmenstrual age of 31 weeks). After ganciclovir treatment was initiated at a dose of 5 mg/kg every 12 h, cytomegalovirus loads in the peripheral blood were markedly decreased. However, since plasma ganciclovir trough level was too high, the interval was extended to every 24 h. Subsequently, the trough level and the estimated 12-h area under the concentration-time curve (AUC0-12) were decreased from 3.5 mg/L to 0.3 mg/L and 53.9 mg · h/L to 19.2 mg · h/L, respectively, resulting in an exacerbation of viremia and clinical condition. Adjustment of dosing interval from 24 h to 12 h led to a peak level of 4.2 mg/L, trough level of 1.1 mg/L, and AUC0-12 of 31.8 mg · h/L, resulting in a marked suppression of viral load.
  
  
  
  Monitoring the therapeutic drug levels and cytomegalovirus loads is useful in obtaining a proper treatment effect and preventing overdosage during ganciclovir therapy in premature infants with postnatal cytomegalovirus infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neonatology, Japanese Red Cross Kyoto Daiichi Hospital, 15-749 Honmachi, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto, 605-0981, Japan.
authors.forename: Mariko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sunada
authors.affiliation: Department of Neonatology, Japanese Red Cross Kyoto Daiichi Hospital, 15-749 Honmachi, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto, 605-0981, Japan. daisukekinoshita04@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Daisuke
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kinoshita
authors.affiliation: Department of Neonatology, Japanese Red Cross Kyoto Daiichi Hospital, 15-749 Honmachi, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto, 605-0981, Japan.
authors.forename: Naoko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Furukawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Neonatology, Japanese Red Cross Kyoto Daiichi Hospital, 15-749 Honmachi, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto, 605-0981, Japan.
authors.forename: Minako
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kihara
authors.affiliation: Department of Neonatology, Japanese Red Cross Kyoto Daiichi Hospital, 15-749 Honmachi, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto, 605-0981, Japan.
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nishimura
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Nagasaki University Hospital, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan.
authors.forename: Masako
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moriuchi
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Nagasaki University Hospital, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Moriuchi
mesh_terms: D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019540:Area Under Curve; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D016903:Drug Monitoring; D005260:Female; D015774:Ganciclovir / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D052577:Infant, Extremely Low Birth Weight; D062071:Infant, Extremely Premature; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007235:Infant, Premature, Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*; D019562:Viral Load
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D015774:Ganciclovir
keywords: Extremely low birth weight infant; Ganciclovir; Postnatal cytomegalovirus infection; Therapeutic drug monitoring