Abstract
Parainfluenza virus type 3 (PIV-3) can cause severe respiratory illness among hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) recipients. Factors associated with PIV-3-specific Ab level, and the association between PIV-3 Ab levels and clinical outcomes in HCT recipients who acquire PIV-3 infection, are unknown. We evaluated PIV-3-specific hemagglutination inhibition Ab levels and clinical outcomes among 172 patients with PIV-3 infection following HCT. In a multivariable linear regression model, high post-transplantation Ab levels were independently associated with higher pre-transplantation recipient titer (mean difference 0.38 (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.26, 0.50), P<0.001). Significant associations between pre-HCT Ab titers in both patients and donors and occurrence of lower respiratory tract disease (LRD) after HCT were not observed. In conclusion, low pre-transplantation titers are associated with low Ab levels after HCT. The relationship between PIV-3 Ab levels and outcomes remain uncertain. Further study is needed to prospectively evaluate the dynamics of PIV-3-specific Ab responses and the relative contribution of PIV-3-specific Ab to protection from infection acquisition and progression to LRD.