Effects of exogenous interferon in cytomegalovirus infections complicating bone marrow transplantation

Human leukocyte interferon was administered to two patients with cytomegalovirus infection which developed following allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. In one patient with hepatitis and evidence of concurrent graft-vs-host disease, significant clinical improvement and disappearance of viremia was observed. Interferon therapy was associated with suppression of lymphocyte responses to mitogens and, in one case, with a decrease of complement-fixing antibody titers to cytomegalovirus. Other immunologic parameters were unchanged. No suppression of marrow engraftment was observed.