Author Topic: Fulminant CNS nocardiosis in RRMS patient treated w/alemtuzumab  (Read 211 times)

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Offline agate

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There is a letter in the "Observation" section of the current issue (April 4) of JAMA Neurology. The authors describe a case of nocardiosis occurring in an MS patient who went on alemtuzumab 18 weeks after stopping Tysabri, which she had been taking for nearly 7 years.

This URL will show most of the letter. Unfortunately the last part of it is unavailable at present.

http://amaprod.silverchaircdn.com/data/Journals/NEUR/0/nlo160001.pdf.gif

Nocardiosis is often curable but if it is the disseminated variety, it is only 67% curable. (The patient being discussed seems to have survived but only after 10 days of hospitalization with a ventilator.)

An overview of nocardiosis can be seen here (Medscape eMedicine).

When a medical journal also editorializes about an article in an issue, it seems to be a way of calling particular attention to that article. This April 4 issue of JAMA Neurology contains an editorial about this problem with alemtuzumab:

http://amaprod.silverchaircdn.com/data/Journals/NEUR/0/ned160008.pdf.gif

Again, only part of the editorial can be seen but a couple of points stand out in it:

1 - The patient was very underweight, with a BMI of 14. This underweight state could have contributed to the development of the nocardiosis, or the alemtuzumab dosage might have been too high for a person weighing so little.

2 -

Quote
After a treatment-free interval of 18 weeks, alemtuzumab was begun. Although the mononuclear cell subsets in the patient's blood were normal at the time of the first alemtuzumab infusion, it is possible that pretreatment with natalizumab contirubted to the risk of opportunistic infection. It has been suggested that an interval of up to 6 months should be provided between discontinuation of treatment  with natalizumab and initiation of treatment with alemtuzumab. However, any "safety interval" longer than 3 months carries a definite risk of recurrence of activity of multiple sclerosis, especially after natalizumab.
« Last Edit: April 05, 2016, 10:56:44 am by agate »
MS Speaks--online for 17 years

SPMS, diagnosed 1980. Avonex 2001-2004. Copaxone 2007-2010. Glatopa (glatiramer acetate 40mg 3 times/week) since 12/16/20.

Offline agate

  • Administrator
  • *****
  • Posts: 9822
  • MS diagnosed 1980
  • Location: Pacific Northwest
MS Speaks--online for 17 years

SPMS, diagnosed 1980. Avonex 2001-2004. Copaxone 2007-2010. Glatopa (glatiramer acetate 40mg 3 times/week) since 12/16/20.

 

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