Positive Stool Cultures Could Predict the Clinical Outcomes of Haploidentical Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

We aimed to identify the impact of stool cultures on clinical outcomes among patients undergoing haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (haplo-HSCT) (n=332). Positive stool cultures (PSC group) were observed in 61 patients (18.4%). Enterobacteriaceae in stool specimens was associated with a higher risk of bloodstream infection, and Candida in stool specimens was associated with a higher risk of platelet engraftment failure. The cumulative incidence of non-relapse mortality at 1 year after haplo-HSCT in the PSC group was higher than that of the patients who showed persistently negative stool cultures (NSC group; 22.2% vs. 12.7%, P=0.059). The probabilities of overall survival (71.4% vs. 83.8%, P=0.031) and disease-free survival (69.6% vs. 81.0%, P=0.048) at 1 year after haplo-HSCT were significantly lower for the PSC group than those of the NSC group, particularly for patients who had Candida in their stool specimens. In multivariate analysis, Candida in stool specimens significantly increased the risk of non-relapse mortality and was associated with poorer survival. Our results showed that PSC impacted the clinical outcomes after haplo-HSCT, particularly for those who had Candida in their stool specimens.