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Review
. 2017 May;177(3):357-374.
doi: 10.1111/bjh.14597. Epub 2017 Mar 14.

Granulocyte transfusions in the management of invasive fungal infections

Kamille A West  1 , Juan Gea-Banacloche  2 , David Stroncek  1 , Sameer S Kadri  3
Affiliations
Review

Granulocyte transfusions in the management of invasive fungal infections

Kamille A West et al. Br J Haematol. 2017 May.

Abstract

Granulocyte transfusions have a long history of being used in patients with neutropenia or neutrophil dysfunction to prevent and treat invasive fungal infections. However, there are limited and conflicting data concerning its clinical effectiveness, considerable variations in current granulocyte transfusion practices, and uncertainties about its benefit as an adjunct to modern antifungal therapy. In this review, we provide an overview on granulocyte transfusions and summarize the evidence on their role in the prevention and treatment of invasive fungal infections.

Keywords: fungal infection; granulocytes; leukapheresis; neutropenia; transfusions.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest

The authors have no relevant conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Neutrophil-mediated intracellular and extracellular killing of fungal pathogens. During phagocytosis, neutrophil azurophilic granules fuse with the phagosome and release contents (cathepsin G, elastase, proteinase 3, and myeloperoxidase) into the phagocytic vacuole. For larger structures like fungal hyphae, the neutrophil releases web-like extracellular traps (NETs) composed of decondensed chromatin in complex with antimicrobial proteins that trap and neutralize pathogens. Adapted with permission from Macmillan Publishers Ltd: (Wheeler, M.L. & Underhill, D. M. Time to cast a larger net. Nature Immunology, 11, 1000–1001), copyright (2014).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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