Clinical Utility of Cytomegalovirus Cell-Mediated Immunity in Transplant Recipients With Cytomegalovirus Viremia

Clinical Utility of Cytomegalovirus Cell-Mediated Immunity in Transplant Recipients With Cytomegalovirus Viremia: Background. A CD8+ T-cell response to cytomegalovirus (CMV) has been associated with control of viral replication. Assessment shortly after the onset of asymptomatic viremia could help significantly refine preemptive strategies.
Methods. We conducted a prospective study of organ transplant recipients who developed asymptomatic low-level viremia not initially requiring antiviral therapy. Cell-mediated immunity (CMI) was measured shortly after viremia onset and longitudinally using the Quantiferon-CMV assay. The primary outcome was the ability to predict spontaneous clearance versus virologic and/or clinical progression.