Simultaneous monitoring by real-time polymerase chain reaction of epstein-barr virus, human cytomegalovirus, and human herpesvirus-6 in juvenile and adult liver transplant recipients

Transplant Proc. 2008 Dec;40(10):3578-82. doi: 10.1016/j.transproceed.2008.05.082.

Abstract

Cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), and human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6) cause symptomatic diseases in liver transplant recipients. The loads of these viruses, the associations between viral DNAemia, serologic status, and acute rejection reactions were investigated in a group of 17 juvenile and 17 adult recipients of living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) for a median of 8 weeks posttransplantation. At least 1 plasma sample from 15/34 (44.1%) patients was positive for CMV DNA. For most of the CMV-positive patients, the CMV DNA appeared in the second week of LDLT, and disappeared by the eighth week. A minimum of 200 EBV DNA copies/mug peripheral blood mononuclear cell DNA (defined as positive for EBV) was detected in 5/34 (14.7%) patients, and the number of EBV-positive children was significantly greater than the number of EBV-positive adults. In most of the EBV-positive patients, the EBV loads increased after 4 weeks posttransplantation. Plasma HHV-6 was detected in 7/34 (20.6%) patients. HHV-6 DNA appeared for a short period from the second week of LDLT. In addition, 8 of the 19 virus-positive recipients carried 2 viruses, with the combination of CMV and HHV-6 being the most frequent. Serologic status seemed to be an important factor for all 3 viral infections. The rate of acute cellular rejection was not significantly higher in the CMV-, EBV-, or HHV-6-positive groups. Simultaneous monitoring for 3 herpesviruses revealed the impact of these viruses on LDLT recipients.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Child
  • Cytomegalovirus / genetics*
  • Cytomegalovirus / isolation & purification
  • Cytomegalovirus Infections / diagnosis*
  • DNA, Viral / isolation & purification
  • Epstein-Barr Virus Infections / diagnosis*
  • Female
  • Herpesvirus 4, Human / genetics*
  • Herpesvirus 4, Human / isolation & purification
  • Herpesvirus 6, Human / genetics*
  • Herpesvirus 6, Human / isolation & purification
  • Humans
  • Liver Transplantation*
  • Living Donors
  • Male
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Postoperative Complications / virology
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Roseolovirus Infections / diagnosis*

Substances

  • DNA, Viral