Cytomegalovirus [CMV] infection in kidney transplantation patients: a local experience

ABSTRACT

Renal transplant recipients are at an increased risk for CMV infection. The goal here was to study the experience with CMV in an Iraqi kidney transplantation program. The records of 100 patients who underwent transplantation from January 1997 to August 2000 were reviewed with regard to CMV infection. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA] technique was used. Sero-negative recipients were transplanted only from sero-negative donors. Fifty-three recipients had donations from related donors and 47 received kidneys from non-related donors. Five sero-positive patients developed CMV infection. This occurred 1-5 months after the transplant. Jaundice, pneumonia, myelodepression, and septicemia were the main clinical presentations. Three patients were lost to follow up. One patient died. One patient, who received acyclovir, has survived. The survival of the patient treated with acyclovir was unexpected and raises questions about its possible effectiveness in prophylaxis