Prophylaxis and therapy using liposomal amphotericin B (AmBisome) for invasive fungal infections in children undergoing organ or allogeneic bone-marrow transplantation.

Sixty-one children with a median age of 6 years (range 1-16) were given prophylaxis/therapy for 78 courses of treatment with liposomal amphotericin (AmBisome) and were reviewed retrospectively. Thirty-six received allogeneic bone marrow, 22 a liver transplant, 2 kidneys and 1 a liver and kidney. AmBisome was given as prophylaxis in 30 episodes, as treatment for suspected invasive fungal infections (IFI) in 33 and for a verified IFI in 15. AmBisome prophylaxis was given for a median of 14 days in a dose of 1 mg/kg/day. The median dose of AmBisome was 2.1 mg/kg/day (range 0.9-5.0). The median duration of therapy was 10 days in children with suspected IFI and 20 days in children with verified IFI. The total dose ranged from 0.025 g up to a maximum of 3.95 g. Proven and probable side effects of AmBisome were a decrease in the level of serum potassium (30/78 cases), renal toxicity (22), an increase in the alkaline phosphatases (24), back pain (2), fever and abdominal pain (2), anaphylactic reaction (1), an increase in the bilirubin level (1), nausea (1), chest pain (1) and fever (1). Of 31 children with suspected IFI, fever disappeared in 21 (68%). In 14 verified or suspected IFI cases treated for 5 days or more, the clinical cure rate was 12 (86%). Eradication of fungi from a deep site was verified in 8/10 and the survival rate from 1 1/2 years to more than 7 years was 7/12 (58%). We conclude that AmBisome was well tolerated as prophylaxis and therapy in transplanted children, few acute toxic side effects were seen and the cure rate in verified IFI was high.