The predictive factors for cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in de novo liver transplant patients were determined at 3 months posttransplantation. We included all consecutive patients except those who died or who had lost their graft within 1 month posttransplant. We recorded both donor (D) and recipient (R) data. Immunosuppression utilized tacrolimus, steroids, with or without mycophenolate mofetil, and/or induction therapy with anti-CD25 monoclonal antibodies. CMV prophylaxis was administered only to those at high risk of CMV infection, namely, D+/R- patients. These cases received intravenous ganciclovir at 500 mg/d for the first 2 weeks followed by oral ganciclovir at 500 mg for the following 3 months. The median time to CMV infection was 1 month. The significant predictive factors for CMV infection were D/R CMV status, (P = .002): D+/R+ versus other patients (P = .01), D-/R- versus other patients (P = .002), D+ versus D- (P = .009). In addition infection was associated with the original liver disease (hepatitis C virus infection or alcohol-related cirrhosis; P = .03), R+ vs. R- (P = .03), donor age (<45 or >45 years; P = .01), lymphocyte count at M2 (< or >1300/mm(3); P = .02), hemoglobin levels at 1 and 3 months, and platelet and white blood cell counts at day 7. The independent predictive factors were recipient CMV sero-status (R+ vs R-; odds ratio = 10.2), donor age >45 years (odds ratio = 11.4) and lymphocyte count at M2 <1300/mm(3) (odds ratio = 7.33). This study showed that the major factors associated with CMV infection were recipient CMV status, donor age, and lymphocyte count.