Non-organ-specific Autoantibodies and CMV Infection in Renal Transplant Recipients with or without Rejection

Aim/Background: A relation between cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and development of non-organ-specific autoantibodies (NOSAs) has been reported in several studies and it has been hypothesized that CMV and NOSAs may be involved in the development of rejection in transplant recipients. Aim of this study was to investigate the presence of NOSAs, relation to CMV infection and development of acute or chronic rejection in a population of renal transplant recipients. Material/Methods: The presence of NOSAs (anti-nuclear [ANA], anti-smooth muscle [SMA], anti-mitochondrial [AMA], and antiliver-kidney microsomal type 1 [LKM-1] antibodies), was evaluated in 132 serum samples, from 59 renal transplant recipients, by indirect immunofluorescence (IIF). CMV infection was evaluated by pp65-antigenaemia test. Results: pp65- antigenemia was positive in 27 out of 59 (45.8%). NOSAs were positive in 15 of 59 (25.4%) patients: 8 of 32 (25%) pp65-antigenaemia-negative patients and 7 of 27 (25.9%) positive patients (p = not significant, n.s.). None was positive for AMA. Acute rejection developed in 8/59 patients: 4 of 27 (14.8%) pp65positive vs 4 of 32 (12.5%) (pp65-negative patients (p = n.s.) and 4 of 15 (26.7%) NOSA-positive vs 4 of 44 (9.1%) NOSA-negative patients (p = n.s.). None presented chronic rejection. Conclusions: It does not seem that there is a relation between CMV infection, NOSAs and acute rejection in renal transplant recipients. Nevertheless, the development of acute rejection tended to be more frequent in NOSA-positive patients.