Clinical Manifestations of Renal Allograft Derived Primary Cytomegalovirus Infection

Abstract

• Seventy seven patients, thirteen younger than 20 years of age, were followed up prospectively for the first three months after renal transplant for evidence of infection and illness due to cytomegalovirus (CMV). Thirty-two developed reactivation of latent CMV and 29 did not develop any CMV infection and were usually asymptomatic. In 16 CMV seronegative patients who received a kidney from a seropositive donor primary infection developed. At the time that these 16 patients underwent seroconversion to CMV, 14 of 16 hadfever, ten had hepatic enzyme elevation, five had pneumonia, and four underwent nephrectomy. Of these 16, eleven received a kidney from a parent, whereas of the other 61 patients, five received parental kidneys (P <.001). Hence, CMV seronegative individuals who received a kidney from a CMV seropositive parent developed clinical illness and sometimes lost the allograft. (Am J Dis Child 131:759-763, 1977)