Successful cord blood transplantation after repeated transfusions of unmobilized neutrophils in addition to antifungal treatment in an infant with chronic granulomatous disease complicated by invasive pulmonary aspergillosis

Background: Chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) is a rare inherited primary immunodeficiency that affects phagocytic cells. CGD patients are susceptible to fungal infections, especially Aspergillus infections. The management of life-threatening Aspergillus infections in CGD is particularly difficult because some infections cannot be eradicated with standard antifungal treatments and, hence, result in death. Case Report: A 2-week-old girl developed invasive pulmonary aspergillosis, which rapidly progressed to respiratory failure. Liposomal amphotericin B, micafungin, and voriconazole were not effective. At the age of 2 months, she was diagnosed with p67phox-deficient CGD. In addition to antifungal treatment, the patient received 21 granulocyte transfusions (GTX), which were obtained from 300- or 400-mL whole blood samples from healthy random donors who were not treated with granulocyte–colony-stimulating factor or dexamethasone. The median neutrophil count of the GTX was 1.88 × 108/kg body weight. Rituximab was administered to reduce alloimmunization to human leukocyte antigens (HLA) after the eighth GTX, resulting in their absence of anti-HLA before and after cord blood transplantation (CBT). A marked improvement in her invasive pulmonary aspergillosis was achieved, although the first CBT was rejected. Complete hematopoietic recovery was obtained after the second CBT. Conclusion: Repeated GTX containing relatively low doses of neutrophils might be able to control severe Aspergillus infections in infants with CGD.