title: Cytomegalovirus-specific cellular immune responses and viremia in recipients of allogeneic stem cell transplants.
abstract: The immune suppression inherent in allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT) offers a favorable environment for infection by opportunistic agents, such as human cytomegalovirus (CMV). Despite the application of potent antiviral prophylaxis, patients remain at risk for CMV infection until adequate immunity is restored. CMV-specific CD8(+) T cell counts were monitored, using HLA-A2 tetrameric complexes, to establish the level of immune response to the viral phosphoprotein UL83 in patients after allogeneic SCT. Correlating this with viral replication and clinical status shows that the level of tetramer-positive T cells provides an assessment of CMV immune reconstitution after stem cell transplantation. Most patients with seropositive donors did reconstitute long-term CMV immunity, unless prolonged immunosuppression to control graft-versus-host disease was induced. Together with polymerase chain reaction testing, this technique provides measurable parameters that can be a guide to therapeutic decision making and can form the basis of CMV immunotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Anthony Nolan Research Institute, Royal Free and University College Medical School, Royal Free Campus, Hampstead, London, United Kingdom. g.aubert@rfc.ucl.ac.uk
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Aubert
authors.forename: A F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Hassan-Walker
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Madrigal
authors.forename: V C
authors.initials: VC
authors.lastname: Emery
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Morte
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Grace
authors.forename: M B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Koh
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Potter
authors.forename: H G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Prentice
authors.forename: I A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Dodi
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Travers
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D019337:Hematologic Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D008212:Lymphocyte Depletion; D008297:Male; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012016:Reference Values; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous / Q000276:immunology*; D014766:Viremia / Q000276:immunology*; D014775:Virus Activation