Cytomegalovirus in Solid Organ Transplant Recipients: Clinical Updates, Challenges and Future Directions

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (28) ◽  
pp. 3497-3506
Author(s):  
Raymund R. Razonable

Cytomegalovirus is the classic opportunistic infection after solid organ transplantation. This review will discuss updates and future directions in the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of CMV infection in solid organ transplant recipients. Antiviral prophylaxis and pre-emptive therapy are the mainstays of CMV prevention, but they should not be mutually exclusive and each strategy should be considered depending on a specific situation. The lack of a widely applicable viral load threshold for diagnosis and preemptive therapy is emphasized as a major factor that should pave the way for an individualized approach to prevention. Valganciclovir and intravenous ganciclovir remain as drugs of choice for CMV management, and strategies for managing drug-resistant CMV infection are enumerated. There is increasing use of CMV-specific cell-mediated immune assays to stratify the risk of CMV infection after solid organ transplantation, and their potential role in optimizing CMV prevention and treatment efforts is discussed.

Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 2019
Author(s):  
Anum Abbas ◽  
Andrea J. Zimmer ◽  
Diana Florescu

Solid organ transplant recipients are at increased risk for infections due to chronic immunosuppression. Diarrhea is a commonly encountered problem post transplantation, with infectious causes of diarrhea being a frequent complication. Viral infections/enteritides in solid organ transplant recipients often result from frequently encountered pathogens in this population such as cytomegalovirus, adenovirus, and norovirus. However, several emerging viral pathogens are increasingly being recognized as more sensitive diagnostic techniques become available. Treatment is often limited to supportive care and reduction in immunosuppression, though antiviral therapies mayplay a role in the treatment in certain diseases. Viral enteritis is an important entity that contributes to morbidity and mortality in transplant recipients.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 1221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuela Carugati ◽  
Letizia Morlacchi ◽  
Anna Peri ◽  
Laura Alagna ◽  
Valeria Rossetti ◽  
...  

Respiratory infections pose a significant threat to the success of solid organ transplantation, and the diagnosis and management of these infections are challenging. The current narrative review addressed some of these challenges, based on evidence from the literature published in the last 20 years. Specifically, we focused our attention on (i) the obstacles to an etiologic diagnosis of respiratory infections among solid organ transplant recipients, (ii) the management of bacterial respiratory infections in an era characterized by increased antimicrobial resistance, and (iii) the development of antimicrobial stewardship programs dedicated to solid organ transplant recipients.


Author(s):  
Danielle Ecabert ◽  
Christine Pham ◽  
Brett J Pierce ◽  
William L Musick ◽  
Duc T Nguyen ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Valganciclovir is the most commonly used antiviral for cytomegalovirus (CMV) prophylaxis in solid organ transplant recipients. However, there are limited clinical outcomes-supported data available to guide valganciclovir dosing in patients on hemodialysis (HD). This study aimed to assess the safety of our institution’s current dosing strategy of valganciclovir 450 mg three times weekly post-HD. Methods This was a single-center retrospective review of all adult non-kidney transplant recipients between May 2016 and June 2018. Patients with end stage renal disease requiring HD for >28 days post-transplant receiving valganciclovir 450 mg three times weekly post-HD were matched with non-HD patients receiving valganciclovir prophylaxis dosed per renal function. The primary endpoints were incidence of leukopenia, neutropenia, and thrombocytopenia while on valganciclovir prophylaxis. Results A total of 465 non-kidney transplants were performed during the study period, with 37 patients included in the HD group who were matched to 111 control patients in the non-HD group. Liver transplant recipients comprised 84% and 72% of each group, with none being CMV D+/R-. The rates of leukopenia (51.4% vs. 51.4%, p = 1.00), severe neutropenia (ANC <500 cells/µL, 15.8% vs. 14.0%, p = 0.85), and thrombocytopenia (24.3% vs. 20.7%, p = 0.64) were similar in both HD and non-HD groups. There were no cases of CMV infection while on valganciclovir prophylaxis in either group. Conclusions Valganciclovir 450 mg three times weekly was found to have similar rates of leukopenia, neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, and CMV infection in comparison to valganciclovir dosed per renal function in non-HD transplant recipients.


2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin J. Downes ◽  
Anna Sharova ◽  
Craig L. K. Boge ◽  
Daniel Vader ◽  
Marina Mitrou ◽  
...  

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