Artesunate as a Potent Antiviral Agent in a Patient with Late Drug‐Resistant Cytomegalovirus Infection after Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Abstract

This is the first report of treatment of cytomegalovirus infection with artesunate, for a stem cell transplant recipient with a newly identified foscarnet-resistant and ganciclovir-resistant DNA polymerase L776M mutation. Artesunate treatment resulted in a 1.7-2.1-log reduction in viral load by treatment day 7, with a viral half-life of 0.9-1.9 days, indicating a highly effective block in viral replication.