Fever and neutropenia due to cytomegalovirus infection in a breast cancer patient under chemotherapy: a case report

Fever in neutropenic patients is a medical emergency which may happen in patients undergoing chemotherapy. The definition of neutropenia varies from institution to institution but is usually defined as an absolute neutrophil count (ANC) < 500 cells/MicroL. or < 1,000 cells/MicroL. with a predicted nadir of < 500 cells/MicroL. Bacterial and fungal infections are the most important in neutropenic patients. Viral infections with agents such as herpes simplex virus and cytomegalovirus are common but less than other pathogens.