Therapeutic drug monitoring of posaconazole in hematology adults under posaconazole prophylaxis: influence of food intake.

Posaconazole (PCZ) is given at 200 mg three times daily as a fungal prophylaxis in neutropenic hematologic malignancy patients. A relationship between exposure, plasma concentration, and efficacy is suggested. The objectives of this prospective study were to analyze the PCZ plasma concentration in hematology adults at high risk of developing invasive fungal infections (IFIs), and factors that could have an impact on the PCZ plasma concentration. PCZ plasma concentrations were measured after 2, 7, 10, 14, and 21 days of PCZ prophylaxis. Factors such as gender, age, body weight, posology, treatment duration, mucositis, proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use, and food intake were studied. Sixty-three patients were included, with a median age of 52 years (range 17-70) and a median weight of 75 kg (range 47-150). The median PCZ plasma concentration of the 63 patients ranged from 0.42 to 0.48 mg/L. At day 2, 30% of PCZ plasma concentration were under 0.35 mg/L, and at day 7, 74% were <0.70 mg/L. PCZ plasma concentrations were not affected by gender, age, body weight, or treatment duration. We found that food intake had a high influence on PCZ plasma concentrations (p = 0.0049). PCZ was well tolerated. One patient has developed a probable IFI, probably related to a low exposure to PCZ. PCZ therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) is essential in order to early detect patients with low concentrations, to assess the etiology of such results, and to decide on the treatment strategy to apply.

[Triple cutaneous mycosis (Cunninghamella bertholletiae, Phomopsis spp. and Paraconiothyrium spp.) in an immonucompromised patient: a Martinican case report]. / Mycoses cutanées àCunninghamella bertholletiae, Phomopsis sp. et Paraconiothyrium sp. chez un patient immunodéprimé : à propos d'un cas martiniquais.

INTRODUCTION: Patients from hematology department, with a weak immune system, can develop opportunist infections due to environment moulds that proliferate without notion of accidental inoculation or pre-existent lesion. CASE REPORT: We report a triple cutaneous infection case caused by Cunninghamella bertholletiae, Phomopsis spp. and Paraconiothyrium spp. on three different anatomic sites in a 68-years-old Martinican patient treated with high-dose chemotherapy and long-term corticotherapy for B-cell lymphoma and who also developed necrotic placards of legs. The patient's condition improved after stopping corticotherapy, treatment by voriconazole and medullary restoration. DISCUSSION: We will discuss about cases described in literature about those rare and different kinds of pathogenic agents while considering evolution, topography of lesions in our case, in order to focus on specificities. We shall emphasize the necessity to be careful about cutaneous hurt in immunocompromised patients.