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Mucosal Barrier Injury and Infections

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Book cover Principles and Practice of Cancer Infectious Diseases

Part of the book series: Current Clinical Oncology ((CCO))

Abstract

Neutropenia is well known as a risk factor for infectious complications of patients treated for hematological malignancies. Less is known about the impact of intensive chemotherapy on the epithelial innate immunity that protects us from infections due to opportunistic pathogens that reside on the mucosal surfaces. Injury to the mucosal barrier leads to barrier dysfunction, perturbed microbial signaling and inadequate host responses all of which increase the risk for life-threatening clinically- and microbilogically-defined infections. Greater awareness of mucosal barrier injury should help the physician to know better when and how to act when fever occurs during neutropenia.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Haematology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre & Nijmegen University Centre for Infectious Diseaes, 9101, 6500 HB, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

    Nicole M. A. Blijlevens

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  1. Nicole M. A. Blijlevens
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  2. J. Peter Donnelly
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Correspondence to Nicole M. A. Blijlevens .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. MD Anderson Cancer Center, Infectious Diseases Department, The University of Texas, 800 5th Avenue, Apt. 12-G, New York, 10065, New York, USA

    Amar Safdar

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Blijlevens, N.M.A., Donnelly, J.P. (2011). Mucosal Barrier Injury and Infections. In: Safdar, A. (eds) Principles and Practice of Cancer Infectious Diseases. Current Clinical Oncology. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-60761-644-3_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-60761-644-3_14

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