Cytomegalovirus infections in Solid Organ transplant recipients

Abstract

Published data on the impact of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and disease in Singapore is limited. Laboratory investigations of CMV ganciclovir resistance revealed its presence in 25% of renal and 40% of liver transplant recipients. We improved on genotypic screening methods by developing several rapid PCR-based assays for detection of specific mutations in CMV which could be utilized directly on clinical samples. The association between CMV infection and disease on long-term outcome after kidney transplantation is still unsettled. Logistic regression analyses of clinical data from our prospective study of 119 consecutive renal transplant subjects showed a significant correlation between allograft dysfunction at one year post-transplant and presence of CMV DNAemia at five months post-transplant (P< 0.01; OR 2.864, 95% CI 1.046-7.839). We also observed that presence of IgG specific anti-endothelial cell antibody (AECA) activity was significantly associated with CMV DNAemia (P < 0.01).