Successful treatment of acyclovir‐resistant herpes simplex virus infection with amenamevir in a patient who received umbilical cord blood transplantation for T‐cell prolymphocytic leukemia

Abstract

A 34‐year‐old woman received umbilical cord blood transplantation for refractory T‐cell prolymphocytic leukemia after salvage therapy with alemtuzumab. She developed right angular cheilitis on the 46th day after transplantation, which worsened after receiving systemic steroid therapy for extensive chronic graft versus host disease. The treatment dosage of acyclovir (ACV), ganciclovir, and vidarabine ointment was not effective due to ACV‐resistant mutations of the herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV‐1) in the thymidine kinase domain. Foscarnet is expected to be effective against ACV‐resistant HSV‐1 infection. However, it could not be used because the patient developed renal dysfunction. Several viral thymidine kinase mutations related to ACV resistance were found in the patient's sample. Nevertheless, amenamevir, a helicase‐primase complex inhibitor, was effective in our patient who was significantly immunocompromised after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo‐HSCT). ACV‐resistant HSV infection after allo‐HSCT is an rare but important complication in the era of low‐dose long‐term ACV prophylaxis. To date, there is no established treatment against ACV‐resistant HSV infection. This case report showed that amenamevir could be a promising treatment option for ACV‐resistant HSV infection in patients with renal failure after allo‐HSCT.