High incidence of clinically significant cytomegalovirus infection in CMV D+/R+ lung transplant recipients receiving 3 months of antiviral prophylaxis

Epidemiology, management, and burden of cytomegalovirus in solid organ transplant recipients in selected countries outside of Europe and North America: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a frequent infectious complication following solid organ transplantation (SOT). Considering significant differences in healthcare systems, a systematic review was conducted to describe the epidemiology, management, and burden of CMV post-SOT in selected countries outside of Europe and North America.

METHODS

MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane databases were searched for observational studies in SOT recipients across 15 countries in the regions of Asia, Pacific, and Latin America (search period: January 1, 2011 to September 17, 2021). Outcomes included incidence of CMV infection/disease, recurrence, risk factors, CMV-related mortality, treatment patterns and guidelines, refractory and/or resistant CMV, patient-reported outcomes, and economic burden.

RESULTS

Of 2708 studies identified, 49 were eligible (n = 43/49; 87.8% in adults; n = 34/49, 69.4% in kidney recipients). Across studies, selection of CMV preventive strategy was based on CMV serostatus. Overall, rates of CMV infection (within 1 year) and CMV disease post-SOT were respectively, 10.3%-63.2% (9 studies) and 0%-19.0% (17 studies). Recurrence occurred in 35.4%-41.0% cases (3 studies) and up to 5.3% recipients died of CMV-associated causes (11 studies). Conventional treatments for CMV infection/disease included ganciclovir (GCV) or valganciclovir. Up to 4.4% patients were resistant to treatment (3 studies); no studies reported on refractory CMV. Treatment-related adverse events with GCV included neutropenia (2%-29%), anemia (13%-48%), leukopenia (11%-37%), and thrombocytopenia (13%-24%). Data on economic burden were scarce.

CONCLUSION

Outside of North America and Europe, rates of CMV infection/disease post-SOT are highly variable and CMV recurrence is frequent. CMV resistance and treatment-associated adverse events, including myelosuppression, highlight unmet needs with conventional therapy.

Cytomegalovirus seroprevalence, infection, and disease in Chinese thoracic organ transplant recipients: a retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality after transplantation. This study aimed to investigate CMV seroprevalence, infection, and disease in Chinese thoracic organ transplant recipients.

METHODS

The clinical data of the patients who underwent lung and/or heart transplantation between January 2015 and October 2020 were retrospectively collected from four transplantation centers in China.

RESULTS

A total of 308 patients were analyzed. The CMV serostatus was donor positive (D⁺) recipient negative (R^-) in 19 (6.17%) patients, D⁺/R⁺ in 233 (75.65%), D^-/R⁺ in 36 (11.69%), and D^-/R^- in 20 (6.50%). CMV DNAemia was detected in 52.3% of the patients and tissue-invasive CMV disease was diagnosed in 16.2% of the patients. Only 31.8% of the patients adhered to the postdischarge valganciclovir therapy. The D⁺/R^- serostatus (odds ratio [OR]: 18.32; 95% confidence interval [CI]:1.80-188.68), no valganciclovir prophylaxis (OR: 2.64; 95% CI: 1.05-6.64), and higher doses of rabbit anti-human thymocyte globulin (> 2 mg/kg) (OR: 4.25; 95% CI: 1.92-9.42) were risk factors of CMV disease.

CONCLUSION

CMV seroprevalence was high in Chinese thoracic organ transplant donors and recipients. The low adherence rate to the postdischarge CMV prophylaxis therapy in Chinese patients is still an unresolved issue.