Clinical Correlation of Cytomegalovirus Infection With CMV-specific CD8+ T-cell Immune Competence Score and Lymphocyte Subsets in Solid Organ Transplant Recipients

Background. Control of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection after solid organ transplantation (SOT) requires a functional immune system. We assessed the association between quantitation and function of CMV-specific CD8+ T cells and CMV infection in SOT recipients. Methods. During a 10-year period, selected kidney, heart, lung, pancreas, liver, and composite tissue recipients were tested for CMV-specific CD8+ T cells immune competence (CMV-CD8+), as measured by enumeration, interferon-gamma production, and CD107a/b degranulation. Quantitative and functional data were used to assemble T-cell immune competence (TIC) score. CMV infection was diagnosed by polymerase chain reaction in blood and other samples or histopathology. Results. Of 130 patients tested, 59 had CMV infection or disease. The median onset to CMV infection was 10.5 months (interquartile range [IQR], 5.5–18.7). Gastrointestinal disease (28.8%), pneumonia (20.3%), and CMV syndrome (17%) were most common presentation. An impaired nonspecific or CMV-CD8+ TIC score was associated with tissue-invasive disease (hazard risk, 2.84, 95% confidence interval, 1.03–11.81; P = 0.04). Patients with impaired CMV-CD8+ TIC score had longer viremia duration (42.4 days vs 18.8 d; P
Source: Transplantation - Category: Transplant Surgery Tags: Original Clinical Science—General Source Type: research