Q. Are transplant recipients at greater risk of infection?
A. Yes. Transplant recipients receive immunosuppressive medicines after transplant (as a part of treatment) to reduce the immunity so as toimprove the survival of transplanted organ or tissue. This makes the patient susceptible to many bacterial, viral and fungal infections.
Q. Which infections are likely to occur in cancer patients?
A. Apart from the usual community acquired infections, rare organisms like nocardia; fungi like aspergillus, mucor, cryptococcus etc ; viruses like cytomegalovirus can infect these patients.
Q. Are these infections treatable?
A. Yes, if the infections are diagnosed on time and treatment started early, these infections can be cured. Expert advice is very important.