MONITORIZATION OF HUMAN CYTOMEGALOVIRUS-INFECTION IN RENAL-TRANSPLANT PATIENTS

Recently, several diagnosis methodes of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection have been developed with high sensibility and specificity. All these methods are based on the detection of a phosphoprotein of the viral matrix, with a molecular weight of 65 kDa (pp65), on the polymorphonuclear leukocytes of peripheral blood samples. A prospective study including 72 consecutive renal transplant patients was carried out in our Unit. During the first four post-trasplant month, pp65-HCMV (antigenemia-HCMV) and specific antibodies anti-HCMV(IgG and IgM) have been determined in all the patients. A positive pp65-HCMV was detected in 24 out from the included patients, and 13 (54%) of these patients developed a clinical HCMV disease. In 9 patients pp65-HCMV was detected before clinical symptoms and in the other 4 cases during clinical HCMV disease. Antibodies IgM anti-HCMV were positive in 5 of the 13 affected patients, in 4 cases at the same time as the pp65-HCMV and in one case afterwards. In all patients with a HCMV infection a pp65-HCMV was detected. In conclusion, monitorization of HCMV infection in renal transplant patients with the pp65-HCMV represents a quickly, easy and simple method on the diagnosis of HCMV infection.