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Updated: Mar 10, 2026
Automated Cell Enrichment of Cytomegalovirus-specific T cells for Clinical Applications using the Cytokine-capture System
Published on: October 5, 2015
Diagnostic usefulness of dynamic changes of CMV-specific T-cell responses in predicting CMV infections in HCT
Jiwon Jung1, Hyun-Jung Lee2, Sun-Mi Kim2
1Department of Infectious Diseases, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Ulsan University Hospital, Ulsan, Republic of Korea.
Background:
CMV-specific cell mediated immune responses before and after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) can categorize patients as at high or low risk of CMV development.
Objectives:
We evaluated the usefulness of the CMV-specific T-cell ELISPOT assay for predicting the development of CMV infections after HCT in recipients with donor-positive and recipient-positive CMV serology (D+/R+ ).
Study Design:
CMV pp65 and IE1-specific ELISPOT assays were performed before HCT (D0), and at 30 (D30) and 90 (D90) days after HCT.
Results:
Of the 84 HCT recipients with D+/R+, 42 (50%) developed≥1 episode of CMV infection. Thirty-nine (64%) of 61 patients with Δ(D30-D0) pp65<42 developed CMV infections compared with 3 (14%) of 21 patients with Δ(D30-D0) pp65≥42 (P<0.001). Twenty-three (74%) of 31 patients with Δ(D30-D0) IE1<-4 developed CMV infections compared with 19 (37%) of 51 patients with Δ(D30-D0) IE1≥-4 (P=0.001). pp65 Δ(D30-D0) ≥42 had 93% sensitivity for ruling out subsequent CMV infection, and pp65 Δ(D30-D0)<42 followed by Δ(D30-D0) IE1<-4 had 100% specificity for ruling in the subsequent CMV infection. In addition, 10 (53%) of 19 patients with Δ(D90-D30) pp65<23 had relapsing CMV infections, compared with 3 (15%) of 20 patients with Δ(D90-D30) pp65≥23 (P=0.02). The sensitivity and specificity of Δ(D90-D30) pp65 were 77% (95% CI 50-92) and 65% (95% CI, 46-81).
Conclusion:
Dynamic change in the CMV-specific ELISPOT assay before versus after HCT appears to predict the subsequent development of CMV infection and relapsing CMV infection.
