Efficacy of using trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole prophylaxis in an adult patient with autoimmune neutropenia

A 63-year-old man was admitted for pneumonia with neutropenia. After the pneumonia resolved with administration of antibiotics and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, he was diagnosed with autoimmune neutropenia (AIN) on the basis of bone marrow findings and positive antineutrophil antibodies. He had recurring high fever once or twice a month with productive cough and an elevated serum C-reactive protein level. However, after the initiation of treatment with oral trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMX), the respiratory tract infection no longer recurred. The standard management for adults with AIN has not been established. In our case, the recurrent infection was resolved with TMP/SMX prophylaxis. Thus, TMP/SMX prophylaxis may be beneficial for managing adults with AIN.