Cytomegalo and herpes simplex virus infections in renal transplant recipients

In a prospective study data were obtained from renal transplant recipients with respect to the incidence and source of infections by CMV and HSV. The incidence of infections with CMV and HSV appeared to be related to the immune suppression regimen used. Especially the high incidence of reinfection with CMV (88.0%) and HSV (81.0) at high prednisolone dosage compared to the lower incidence (CMV 54.5%, HSV 44.1%) at low prednisolone dosage was apparent. Even in very moderate immune suppressed patients infections occurred in at least 40% of them. These infections are known to be potentially harmful to the recipient or to the graft. CMV can be transmitted by the graft in both seronegative and seropositive recipients as demonstrated by restriction enzyme analysis. Therefore CMV related disease has to be considered in all recipients with grafts from seropositive donors. For CMV infection the diagnostic value of serology (CF test) appeared high, while for the diagnosis of HSV infection virus-isolation was of more value.