Pre-transplant cytomegalovirus-specific cellular immunity and risk of viral reactivation following lung transplantation: a prospective cohort study.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) remains a significant burden in lung transplant recipients. Deficiencies in T-cell immunity post-transplant increase the risk of CMV-associated complications. However, it is not clear if underlying poor pre-transplant immunity increases risk. To assess this, we recruited 39 prospective lung transplant patients and performed QuantiFERON-CMV on their peripheral blood. More than a third of prospective CMV-seropositive transplant recipients were CMV non-immune-reactive (CMV-NIR) pre-transplant. CMV-NIR status was associated with a significantly higher incidence of CMV reactivation post-transplant, demonstrating that dysfunctional CMV immunity in prospective lung transplant recipients is associated with an increased risk of viral reactivation post-transplant.