Cytomegalovirus: an unrecognised potential contributor to cystic fibrosis disease progression?

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a betaherpesvirus, the impacts of which are well known to clinicians providing post-transplant cystic fibrosis care. Lung transplant recipients have the highest risk of any solid-organ transplant for CMV reactivation and ganciclovir resistance [1, 2]. Furthermore, CMV reactivation increases the risk of chronic lung allograft dysfunction. However, even in general populations, CMV seropositivity is associated with adverse outcomes including cognitive impairment, frailty, heart disease and all-cause mortality [3–5]. How CMV may contribute to disease is not evident but many streams of evidence suggest CMV replication in inflamed sites contributes to exaggerated inflammation and tissue injury [6].
Source: European Respiratory Journal - Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Tags: Original Articles: Research letters Source Type: research