Australian Dental Research Fund Trebitsch Scholarship. Efficacy of antifungal prophylaxis in bone marrow transplantation.

Oral candidal infection is a common problem in bone marrow transplantation. This prospective study compared the effectiveness of antifungal prophylaxis with topical antifungals (nystatin and amphotericin B suspensions) versus oral fluconazole in 196 patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation. Oral candidosis occurred frequently in the group receiving topical antifungals (61/113, 54%), but was rare in the group receiving fluconazole (6/83, 7%). The difference in efficacy between the two groups was highly significant (p < 0.00001). There was no difference in the incidence of suspected systemic fungal infection between the two groups. While nausea was a problem with antifungal suspensions, no significant adverse reactions to fluconazole occurred. Because of greater efficacy in preventing oral candidosis and better patient tolerance, oral fluconazole is preferred to antifungal suspensions for prophylactic use in patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation.