A Prospective Study on Infection with Cytomegalovirus in Renal Allograft Recipients Immunosuppressed with Cyclosporine a and Low Dose Prednisone

To investigate the course of infection with cytomegalovirus (CMV) in renal allograft recipients treated with cyclosporine A, 10 patients were followed for 1 year after transplantation. Virus cultures from blood, urine and throat washings were performed employing a quantitative technique. Complement-fixing and IgM antibodies to CMV were measured at scheduled intervals. The incidence 90 % and course of CMV infections were found not to differ from those reported in patients receiving conventional immunosuppressive therapy. The quantitative virus cultures showed a consistent pattern with viremia most prominent at the beginning of an infection, and the highest concentration found in the one patient who developed symptoms of viral disease. It is suggested that information about the concentration of virus in a specimen will improve the diagnostic value of virus cultures in this group of patients.