Comparative study on the usefulness of antibacterial prophylaxis with levofloxacin in patients submitted to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

© 2015 Elsevier España, S.L.U. Background Bacterial infection remains a frequent complication in patients receiving a hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). However, the impact of the antibacterial prophylaxis mortality in these patients is controversial. Patients and methods Retrospective comparison of 2 consecutive groups of patients undergoing HSCT receiving (n = 132) or not (n = 107) antibacterial prophylaxis with levofloxacin. Results 41% of patients receiving prophylaxis with levofloxacin had microbiologically documented infection (MDI) with bacteremia, compared with 40% of those not receiving levofloxacin. The frequency of gram-negative bacteremia was 11 and 38%, the resistance to levofloxacin was 39 and 14%, and the mortality was 8 and 7%, respectively. Conclusions In our experience, the use of levofloxacin as prophylaxis in HSCT was associated with a lower frequency of gram-negative bacteremia but was not associated with a decreased rate of MDI and did not influence their outcome. In contrast, there was an increase in quinolone resistance in patients treated with levofloxacin.