Severe respiratory syncytial virus pneumonia complicating fludarabine and cyclophosphamide treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia

The potential for life-threatening pneumonia due to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection is recognised among patients with acute leukaemia and recipients of allogeneic or autologous bone marrow transplantation. RSV pneumonia has a high mortality rate in these settings. Less intensively treated patients are not usually considered to be at risk for serious RSV pneumonia. We describe the case of a 62-yr-old patient with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) treated with fludarabine and cyclophosphamide who developed severe RSV pneumonia and recovered following treatment including intravenous ribavirin.