[Multiple organ failure and disseminated adenoviral infection]

Background: Peripheral blood stem cell transplantation is a frequent option, especially for patients with hematological malignancies.

Case reports: A first patient received this treatment for acute myeloblastic leukemia, the second for Richter's syndrome (follicular lymphoma). In both cases, allograft (unrelated donor, non myeloablative conditioning) was followed by graft versus host disease (GVH) requiring an immunosuppressive treatment. Respectively 15 and three months after graft, these two patients presented with multiple organ failure including very severe hepatic dysfunction. The diagnosis was made according to positive blood PCR, positive BAL, and hepatic histological findings.

Discussion: Adenoviruses, frequent in pediatrics, can be responsible for extremely severe infections among immunocompromised adults. T lymphocyte depletion plays a key role.

Conclusion: Adenoviral infections can be fatal among immunocompromised patients. Diagnostic improvement should lead to early treatment, which however, remains to be clearly defined.