PROSPECTIVE STUDY OF HUMAN BETAHERPESVIRUSES AFTER RENAL TRANSPLANTATION

Background. Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) and HHV-7 are two lymphotropic herpesviruses, which, like cytomegalovirus (CMV), have the potential to be pathogenic in immunocompromised individuals. We have conducted a prospective investigation to compare the natural history of HHV-6 and HHV-7 infection with that of CMV after renal transplantation.Methods. Polymerase chain reaction was used to identify infections and quantify the viral load of CMV, HHV-6, and HHV-7 in peripheral blood samples from 52 renal transplant recipients. Betaherpesvirus infections were related to defined clinical criteria obtained by detailed examination of the clinical records of each patient for the immediate 120-day posttransplant period.Results. CMV was the most commonly detected virus after transplant (58% of patients), followed by HHV-7 (46%) and HHV-6 (23%). Examining the time to first polymerase chain reaction positivity, HHV-7 infection was detected earlier than CMV (P=0.05). The median maximum CMV viral load was significantly higher than those for HHV-6 (P=0.01) and HHV-7 (P