Case Report: Presumed Respiratory Syncytial Virus Pneumonia in Three Immunocompromised Adults

Kasupski, George J.; Leers, Wolf-D.

Three cases of presumed respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) pneumonia in immunocompromised adults are described. Two patients had symptoms of cough, fever, and malaise, following completion of a course of combination chemotherapy for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The third patient, a juvenile onset diabetic, developed similar symptoms while hospitalized for severe hyperglycemia. Chest roentgenograms showed lower lobe infiltrates in both leukemic patients and a bilateral non-confluent bronchopneumonia in the diabetic patient. All patients had a marked rise in complement-fixing antibody titres to RSV, suggesting a concurrent infection with the virus. Extensive microbiological investigations failed to reveal any other etiologic agent. Nosocomial infection was considered possible. RSV is not considered a cause of pneumonia in compromised adults. Our three cases suggest that there may be a higher incidence of RSV pneumonia in compromised patients, than previously recognized.