REVIEW Current Status of Granulocyte (Neutrophil) Transfusion Therapy for Infectious Diseases

The transfusion of neutrophils, or granulocyte transfusion therapy, has long been considered as a logical approach to the treatment of severe bacterial and fungal infections in patients with prolonged neutropenia or intrinsic defects in neutrophil function. However, despite nu-merous clinical trials, the ef®cacy and safety of granulocyte transfusion therapy remain con-troversial. Ef®cacy has been compromised largely by the inability to transfuse suf®cient quan-tities of functionally active neutrophils to patients. The recent use of recombinant granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) to mobilize neutrophils in donors before centrifugation leukapheresis has rekindled interest in the potential clinical applications of granulocyte trans-fusion therapy. This review focuses on the use of G-CSF for donor stimulation and summarizes the current status of granulocyte transfusion therapy for treatment of infectious diseases. Neutrophils (polymorphonuclear leukocytes [PMNL]) play an integral role in host defense against potential bacterial and op-portunistic fungal pathogens. The expanding use of dose-inten-sive cancer treatment strategies, such as high-dose chemotherapy and bone marrow and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation