Pretransplant evaluation for infections in donors and recipients of solid organs

The risk of infectious disease reactivation in recipients of and transmission by solid-organ transplants remains, and thorough screening and testing of recipient and donor is especially important. In conceiving screening strategies, it is crucial to consider the sensitivity and specificity of individual diagnostic tests in the context of their use. Furthermore, recognition of special risks for infectious complications of transplantation will help to guide preventive, diagnostic, and therapeutic steps in the control of infectious complications in individual patients. The acceptability of risks for infectious complications after transplantation depends also on the urgency of transplantation of a vital organ as well as the availability of organs. Although these principals are well accepted, standards for the extent of screening and criteria for inappropriate donors and exclusion of unfit recipients remain controversial to some extent.