Efficacy of ganciclovir against cytomegalovirus nephropathy after kidney transplantation

: A 32-year-old man who had received a kidney transplant from a living related donor, contracted cytomegalovirus (CMV) pneumonitis in the 8th month. He was treated with human interferon-beta and cured of the pneumonitis. After that, his serum creatinine value increased gradually. Renal biopsy revealed the cells with intranuclear inclusion bodies in the renal tubulus and the cells were positive for CMV antigens by direct immunofluorescence test using FITC-labeled mouse monoclonal antibody against an early antigen. He was hospitalized with persistent CMV viruria and treated with ganciclovir. Ganciclovir was administered daily in doses of 3 mg per kg per day for 32 days by intravenous drip infusion and thereafter the same dose was given 3 times weekly for 8 weeks. His urine was positive for CMV before the ganciclovir treatment and became negative on the 31st day after the treatment. The anti-CMV effect of ganciclovir was evidenced by gradual decrease in titer (PFU) of infectious CMV in the urine samples. His serum creatinine value decreased from 3.2 mg/dl to 2.8 mg/dl, and no adverse effect was noticed. Thus, ganciclovir is considered to be efficacious against CMV infections in kidney transplant recipients.