title: Clinical course of cytomegalovirus (CMV) viremia with and without ganciclovir treatment in CMV-seropositive kidney transplant recipients. Longitudinal follow-up of CMV pp65 antigenemia assay.
abstract: This study was designed to evaluate the longitudinal history of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and to test the capacity of ganciclovir as effective therapy in CMV-seropositive renal transplant recipients. The CMV viremia was detected with CMV pp65 antigenemia assay in 153 renal transplants. The recipients were classified as having low-grade and high-grade CMV infections according to the severity of CMV infection. The recipients with low-grade CMV infections were observed without ganciclovir treatment, and the recipients with high-grade CMV infection were randomly assigned to ganciclovir-treated and untreated groups. The clinical course between low-grade and high-grade CMV infections was evaluated. All recipients with low-grade CMV infection (n = 62) showed spontaneous remission regardless of immunosuppresants. In high-grade CMV infection (n = 31), the ciclosporin A treated group (n = 11) showed no evidence of CMV disease, and the methylprednisolone-treated group (n = 8) showed CMV disease in 1 (25%) of 4 ganciclovir-untreated recipients. In the OKT3 group (n = 12), symptomatic CMV infection was observed in 6 (100%) ganciclovir-untreated recipients contrary to no CMV disease in the ganciclovir-treated group (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the CMV antigenemia assay is effective in monitoring CMV viremia, and ganciclovir treatment should be done during early CMV viremia in OKT3-treated recipients.
authors.affiliation: Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kangnam St. Mary's Hospital, Catholic University Medical College, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: C W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Y O
authors.initials: YO
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Y S
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: S Y
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: I S
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Moon
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Ahn
authors.forename: Y B
authors.initials: YB
authors.lastname: Koh
authors.forename: B K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Bang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000276:immunology; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015774:Ganciclovir / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000097:blood*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014766:Viremia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000998:Antiviral Agents; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D010750:Phosphoproteins; D015774:Ganciclovir