Simple analysis of a bone marrow transplantation patient’s oral rinse can indicate the transplant’s effectiveness and predict whether an infection will develop, according to an article in the June 6 advance online publication of the journal Bone Marrow Transplantation.
Three University of Toronto researchers monitored the oral rinses of 29 pediatric bone marrow transplantation patients. They tested the basic sodium bicarbonate solutions for the return of neutrophils—specialized white blood cells that fight infection. Their test was able to detect the white blood cells about a week earlier than the blood test that commonly is used to confirm a successful bone marrow transplantation.
The gap between the time the test showed the presence of white blood cells in the patients’ mouths and the time the cells appeared in a blood test also indicated the patients who likely would be prone to infection during their recovery. A difference of less than four days was an excellent indicator of patients who were susceptible to infection, said the researchers.
"It shows promise as a noninvasive way to track a patient’s recovery," said corresponding author Dr. Michael Glogauer. "We are using mice to study the underlying mechanisms at work here to help us better understand white blood cell recovery and function during bone marrow transplant therapy."
Researchers also are experimenting with ways to make the test applicable at the bedside by developing a reaction that will cause the rinse to change color when the presence of white blood cells is detected.
