Background: Reactivation of latent herpes viruses occurs with immunosuppression. Alemtuzumab is an antibody targeting CD52, which is expressed on all B- and T-cells. Treatment with alemtuzumab leads to profound T-cell suppression, and reactivation of cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) occurs. Valganciclovir is used as an anti-CMV prophylaxis during alemtuzumab therapy.
Objective: To determine if EBV reactivation is decreased with valganciclovir prophylaxis.
Study design: Plasma EBV DNA was serially quantified by quantitative polymerase chain reaction with a World Health Organization EBV standard in patients receiving alemtuzumab therapy with valganciclovir as anti-CMV prophylaxis.
Results: Twenty-nine patients were studied. A total of 258 samples were quantified, at a median of 7 (3-25) specimens per patient. Twenty-four patients never had any quantifiable EBV DNA. Five patients (17%) developed EBV reactivation. Two patients had EBV reactivation at very low levels of about 10(3)IU/mL, 3-4 logs lower than those typically found in post-transplant lymphoproliferative diseases. Three patients had EBV reactivation at higher levels of 10(4)IU/mL, which only occurred after two courses of alemtuzumab were administered. EBV reactivation subsided spontaneously in four cases. One patient developed EBV-positive Hodgkin lymphoma, but he had also received previously another potent T-cell suppressing drug fludarabine.
Conclusion: Valganciclovir suppressed EBV reactivation during alemtuzumab therapy. It might be a useful prophylaxis in immunocompromized patient populations at high risk of EBV reactivation.
Keywords: Alemtuzumab; Cytomegalovirus; Epstein Barr virus; Prophylaxis; Valganciclovir.
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