Pretransplant Cytomegalovirus-Specific Cellular Immunity and Risk of Viral Reactivation Following Lung Transplantation: A Prospective Cohort Study

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) remains a significant burden in lung transplant recipients. Deficiencies in T-cell immunity posttransplant increase the risk of CMV-associated complications. However, it is not dear if underlying poor pretransplant immunity increases risk. To assess this, we recruited 39 prospective lung transplant patients and performed QuantiFERON-CMV on their peripheral blood. More than a third of prospective CMV-seropositive transplant recipients were CMV non-immune reactive (CMV-NIR) pretransplant. CMV-NIR status was associated with a significantly higher incidence of CMV reactivation posttransplant, demonstrating that dysfunctional CMV immunity in prospective lung transplant recipients is associated with an increased risk of viral reactivation posttransplant.

Automated summary

In lung transplant recipients, pretransplant CMV-NIR status is significantly associated with a higher incidence of CMV reactivation posttransplant. Therefore, dysfunctional CMV immunity increases the risk of viral reactivation after transplantation.