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Generation of Multivirus-specific T Cells to Prevent/treat Viral Infections after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant
08:52

Generation of Multivirus-specific T Cells to Prevent/treat Viral Infections after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant

Published on: May 27, 2011

Risk of transmission of herpesviruses through cord blood transplantation

Adriana Weinberg1, Laura Enomoto, Shaobing Li

  • 1University of Colorado School of Medicine, Denver, Colorado, USA. Adriana.Weinberg@uchsc.edu

Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation : Journal of the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation
|December 31, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Cord blood (CB) progenitor cells are safe for pediatric transplants, with routine CMV screening preventing transmission. However, testing for human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6) DNA in CB is recommended due to its 0.55% incidence.

Area of Science:

  • Hematology
  • Virology
  • Transplant Immunology

Background:

  • Cord blood (CB) progenitor cells offer advantages for pediatric transplantation, including reduced graft-versus-host disease risk.
  • Concerns exist regarding opportunistic infections, particularly human herpesviruses (HHV), in CB transplant recipients.
  • Current screening focuses on cytomegalovirus (CMV) via anti-CMV immunoglobulin M testing.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the incidence of beta and gamma HHV infections in CB units collected under standard procedures.
  • To evaluate the effectiveness of current CMV screening protocols and identify other HHV risks.

Main Methods:

  • Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to test 362 CB samples for CMV, HHV-6, HHV-7, HHV-8, and Epstein-Barr virus DNA.
  • Incidence rates and 95% confidence intervals were calculated for each virus.

Main Results:

  • Human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6) DNA was detected in 0.55% of CB samples (95% CI: 0.1%-2%).
  • No CMV, Epstein-Barr virus, HHV-7, or HHV-8 DNA was detected, with 95% CIs of 0%-1%.
  • The study's findings on HHV-8 are not generalizable to HHV-8-endemic regions due to low donor seroprevalence (4%).

Conclusions:

  • Routine anti-CMV IgM screening effectively minimizes CMV transmission risk from CB.
  • HHV-6 DNA is present in a small but significant proportion of CB units, warranting PCR-based testing.
  • Further investigation into HHV-6 prevalence and clinical impact in CB transplantation is recommended.

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