Pancytopenia Associated with Linezolid Therapy in a Hemodialysis Patient

Linezolid is a drug used frequently for the treatment of infections due to resistant gram-positive bacteria including methicillin-resistant Stapylococcus aereus (MRSA), penicillin-resistant pneumococcus and vancomycin-resistant enterococcus. However, reversible bone marrow suppression has been reported in cases treated with linezolid in high doses for 2 weeks. Here we reported the development linezolidassociated pancytopenia in a hemodialysis patient with catheter infection. This patient was treated with linezolid for blood stream MRSA infection. Fever and other symptoms regressed at the beginning but fever and pancytopenia developed on the 10th day of linezolid therapy. After excluding other causes of pancytopenia, linezolid treatment was changed to a combination of meropenem and daptomycin. The pancytopenia regressed in a 6 day and did not recur during the 13-month follow-up.