No abstract

Bone marrow failure (BMF) syndromes are severe complications of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). In this paper, we distinguish two different entities, the graft failure (GF) and the poor graft function (PGF), and we review the current understanding of the interactions between the immune and hematopoietic compartments in these conditions. We first discuss how GF occurs as the result of classical alloreactive immune responses mediated by residual host cellular and humoral immunity persisting after conditioning and prevented by host and donor regulatory T cells. We next summarize the current knowledge about the contribution of inflammatory mediators to the development of PGF. In situations of chronic inflammation complicating allo-HSCT, such as graft-versus-host disease or infections, PGF seems to be essentially the result of a sustained impairment of hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) self-renewal and proliferation caused by inflammatory mediators, such as interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and tumor necrosis factor-α, and of induction of apoptosis through the Fas/Fas ligand pathway. Interestingly, the production of inflammatory molecules leads to a non-MHC restricted, bystander inhibition of hematopoiesis, therefore, representing a promising target for immunological interventions. Finally, we discuss immune-mediated impairment of bone marrow microenvironment as a potential mechanism hampering hematopoietic recovery. Better understanding of immunological mechanisms responsible for BMF syndromes after allo-HSCT may lead to the development of more efficient immunotherapeutic interventions.

Impaired immune reconstitution after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) contributes to increased risk of cancer relapse and infection resulting in significant morbidity and mortality. Unfortunately, effective strategies to functionally assess the quality of immune reconstitution are still missing. Quantification of in vivo replication of the ubiquitous, non-pathogenic virus Torque Teno Virus (TTV) has been reported in small series as a test to functionally evaluate the quality of post-transplant immune reconstitution. In the present study, we analyzed by quantitative PCR TTV titers in plasma samples from a large cohort of 168 allogeneic HSCT recipients. Our analysis confirms that TTV titers peaked at 100 days post-transplant, followed by progressive normalization thereafter. Negative correlation of TTV titers with T cell absolute numbers during the first year post-transplant points to the restoration of an active anti-TTV immunity. Univariable and multivariable linear regression analysis demonstrated that donor CMV positive serostatus, donor type and immune suppression resulting from GVHD treatment affected the restoration of anti-TTV immunity. Importantly, higher TTV titers at 100 days after transplantation were associated with worse overall survival and higher risk of acute GVHD and infections. Our results provide new insights into the factors affecting the dynamics of TTV replication and indicate that TTV is a potentially useful biomarker to assess immune reconstitution and to predict complications and outcomes of allogeneic HSCT.

The blood virome after allo-HSCT includes several DNA viruses notably herpesviruses and polyomaviruses. Among RNA viruses, HPgV is highly prevalent, persisting for several months and thus may deserve special attention in further research on immune reconstitution.

BackgroundRespiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is associated with significant mortality rates amongst hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients, with less known about other immunocompromised patients.MethodsTen-year retrospective cohort study of immunocompromised patients presenting with RSV disease documented at University Hospitals of Lausanne and Geneva. Severe RSV-related outcomes referred to RSV documented respiratory conditions requiring hospital admission, presenting as lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) or pneumonia. We used multivariable logistic regression to assess clinical and laboratory correlates of severe RSV disease.ResultsFrom 239 RSV-positive immunocompromised in and out-patients 175 were adults and 64 children of whom 111 (47.8%) presented with LRTI, which resulted in a 38% (89/239) admission rate to hospital. While immunocompromised children were more likely to be admitted to hospital compared to adults (75% vs 62.9%, p = 0.090), inpatients admitted to the intensive care unit (17/19) or those who died (11/11) were mainly adults. From multivariable analyses, adults with solid tumors (OR 5.2; 95% CI: 1.4–20.9 P = 0.015) or those requiring chronic immunosuppressive treatments mainly for rheumatologic conditions (OR 4.1; 95% CI: 1.1–16.0; P = 0.034) were significantly more likely to be admitted to hospital compared to hematopoietic stem cell (HSCT) recipients. Bacterial co-infection was significantly and consistently associated with viral LRTI and pneumonia.ConclusionsFrom our findings, RSV-related disease results in a significant burden among adults requiring chronic immunosuppressive treatments for rheumatological conditions and those with solid tumors. As such, systematic screening for respiratory viruses, should be extended to other immunocompromised populations than HSCT recipients.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12879-018-3002-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.