Cytomegalovirus Disease In Solid-organ Transplant Recipients Research Articles

Cytomegaloviral Retinitis in a Heart Transplant Patient: Case Report and Review of the Literature

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) poses a significant threat to solid organ transplant recipients (SOTR). The incidence of CMV disease in SOTR varies according to immunosuppressive therapy, antiviral prophylaxis, donor and recipient serologic compatibility, and the transplanted organ: 9% to 23%, 22% to 29% and 8% to 32% after heart, liver and kidney transplant, respectively. CMV retinitis (CMVR) is a rare manifestation of CMV with a high risk of blindness. Infection may vary in severity, from initially clinically silent cases to full-blown advanced changes involving the eye. The most characteristic effects are changes in the retina, which usually begin at the retina's periphery and are asymptomatic, then these changes spread toward the center as the disease progresses and impairs vision. We describe CMV vitritis and retinitis in a 74-year-old patient after heart transplantation conducted in 1992. The first symptom of the disease was low vision in the left eye. Initially no blood viremia was observed; then the CMV viral load in the blood and vitreous body of the right eye was 2454 and 26 million IU/mL.Despite the initiation of treatment (intravitreal and then intravenous ganciclovir), the inflammatory process progressed rapidly and vision in the left eye was lost, although functional visual acuity in the right eye was maintained. Systemic antiviral therapy with intravenous ganciclovir lasted 6 weeks until the eradication of CMV viremia. The patient was on prophylactic therapy with oral valganciclovir for 12 months. A clinically silent course of CMVR delays diagnosis and therapy. Therefore, it is recommended that all SOTR undergo periodic ophthalmologic control to avoid delayed diagnosis.

Clinical Experience with Immune Monitoring for Cytomegalovirus in Solid-Organ Transplant Recipients.

Novel strategies are needed to further reduce the burden of cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease in solid-organ transplant (SOT) recipients. Measurement of the specific cell-mediated immunity against CMV can identify the actual risk for the development of CMV disease in a given patient. Thus, immune monitoring is an attractive strategy for individualizing the management of CMV after transplantation. A growing number of observational studies on immune monitoring for CMV have been published over recent years, although there is a lack of data coming from interventional trials. In high-risk patients, measurement of CMV-specific T-cell responses appropriately stratifies the risk of CMV disease after discontinuation of antiviral prophylaxis. Immune monitoring may also help to identify patients followed by the preemptive approach at low risk for progression to CMV disease. Pretransplant assessment of cell-mediated immunity in seropositive patients may predict the development of posttransplant CMV infection. Overall, these studies indicate that the use of cell-mediated immunity assays has the potential to improve the management of CMV disease in SOT recipients.

Esquemas de prevención de la infección por citomegalovirus: terapia anticipada frente a profilaxis universal

Despite the advances made in the diagnosis and treatment of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection, this pathogen continues to cause substantial morbidity in solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients. The two main strategies for the prevention of CMV disease are universal prophylaxis and preemptive therapy. Several meta-analyses have found that both strategies are effective in the prevention of CMV disease in SOT recipients compared with placebo, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Nevertheless, few studies have compared the two approaches to CMV disease in SOT recipients. The present article provides a review of the indications of each of these strategies and the main studies on which they are based.

Prevention of Posttransplant Cytomegalovirus Disease and Related Outcomes with Valganciclovir: A Systematic Review

The precise impact of valganciclovir as preventive therapy for cytomegalovirus (CMV) in solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients is not fully defined. Data from studies using valganciclovir as preemptive therapy or prophylaxis for CMV in SOT recipients were synthesized for descriptive analysis. CMV disease occurred in 2.6% and 9.9% of the patients receiving valganciclovir as preemptive therapy and prophylaxis, respectively. Although the incidence of early-onset (<or=90 days posttransplant) CMV disease was only 0.8% and 1.2% in all patients and R-/D+ patients receiving valganciclovir prophylaxis, the incidence of late-onset (>90 days posttransplant) CMV disease rose up to 8.9% and 17.7% in the prophylactic group, respectively. On the contrary, no patients developed late-onset CMV disease in preemptive group. Both approaches with valganciclovir have successfully decreased CMV disease in SOT recipients. Late-onset CMV disease is a complication observed uniquely with valganciclovir prophylaxis, particularly in R-/D+ patients, but not with preemptive therapy.