Parasitic Infections

Parasitic diseases can occur after chemotherapy for hematological malignancy or hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and can then compromise the success of the therapies. For some parasites with well-established risks, systematic preventive treatments (Strongyloides stercoralis) or prophylaxis (Toxoplasma gondii) is recommended. When the risk is not well established or the occurrence of the parasitic disease is too rare, it is possible to prevent them by a careful report of previous travels or residencies in endemic countries and to ask laboratories for specific diagnostics (Leishmania infantum, Trypanosoma cruzi, Plasmodium spp., Babesia spp., intestinal parasites). Adoption of quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR)-driven surveillance for Toxoplasma gondii when prophylaxis is not provided, or for Leishmania spp., Trypanosoma cruzi, and Babesia spp. in endemic countries, is expected to improve the detection, and possibly the prognosis in hematological patients. To improve the knowledge on the biology of these parasites in hematological patients, it is also of utmost importance whether treatment of hematological malignancies develops in low-income endemic countries.