Journal article

Oseltamivir resistance in adult oncology and hematology patients infected with pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus, Australia

AR Tramontana, B George, AC Hurt, JS Doyle, K Langan, AB Reid, JM Harper, K Thursky, LJ Worth, DE Dwyer, C Orla Morrissey, PDR Johnson, KL Buising, SJ Harrison, JF Seymour, PE Ferguson, B Wang, JT Denholm, AC Cheng, M Slavin

Emerging Infectious Diseases | CENTERS DISEASE CONTROL | Published : 2010

Abstract

We describe laboratory-confirmed influenza A pandemic (H1N1) 2009 in 17 hospitalized recipients of a hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) (8 allogeneic) and in 15 patients with malignancy treated at 6 Australian tertiary centers during winter 2009. Ten (31.3%) patients were admitted to intensive care, and 9 of them were HSCT recipients. All recipients of allogeneic HSCT with infection 4 days of oseltamivir therapy. Three of these 4 patients were critically ill. Oseltamivir resistance in 4 (13.3%) of 30 patients who were administered oseltamivir highlights the need for ongoing surveillance of such resistance and further research on optimal antiviral therapy in the immunocompromised.

Grants

Awarded by National Health and Medical Research Council


Funding Acknowledgements

The Melbourne World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza is supported by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing. Oseltamivir resistance testing of NSW samples was partially supported by the National Health and Medical Research Council Urgent Projects grant 633027.