Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection is a common complication in recipients of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT), leading to fatal post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders (PTLD) and other EBV-associated diseases. A few studies suggested that cytomegalovirus (CMV) might play a role in PTLD. In this study, the effect of CMV on EBV DNA-emia and EBV-associated diseases was evaluated in the recipients of allo-HSCT.
Three hundred and fifty-two patients undergoing allo-HSCT were enrolled in this prospective study between July 2008 and June 2013. The EBV-DNA and CMV-DNA levels in blood and secretion were monitored by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RQ-PCR) before and in different time points after transplantation. EBV and CMV DNA-emia were diagnosed when EBV-DNA or CMV-DNA in the blood was positive twice consecutively.
During the follow-up period, 99 patients (28.1%) developed EBV DNA-emia and 41 (11.6%) developed EBV-associated diseases including 27 EBV-associated PTLD and 14 other EBV-associated diseases. One hundred and fifty-nine patients (45.2%) developed CMV DNA-emia and 10 (2.8%) developed CMV-associated diseases. Of the 99 patients who developed EBV DNA-emia, 56 had CMV DNA-emia before EBV DNA-emia, and the median time from occurrence of CMV DNA-emia to EBV DNA-emia and EBV-associated diseases were 15 (range, 0-269) days and 26 (range, 0-255) days, respectively. Six patients developed co-existing CMV DNA-emia at the time of EBV-associated diseases diagnosed. DNA-emia before EBV infection had positive correlation with EBV DNA-emia (r=0.14, p=0.007) and EBV-associated diseases (r=0.15, p=0.005), but both correlation coefficients were weak. There was a strong positive correlation between EBV DNA-emia and EBV-associated diseases (r=0.56, p<0.001). The patients with CMV DNA-emia had a higher risk for developing EBV infection than those without (OR 2.279, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.420-3.657, p=0.001). After EBV infection occurred, 15 patients developed CMV DNA-emia, including 4 developed CMV-associated diseases, at a median time of 33 days (range, 12-50 days). EBV infection was not related to CMV DNA-emia (p=0.87) or CMV associated diseases (p=0.27) occurring after EBV infection.
The results suggest that CMV may play a contributory role in the development of EBV DNA-emia and EBV-associated diseases.
Liu:This work was supported by the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (863 Program) (No. 2011AA020105), the National Public Health Grand Research Foundation (Grant No. 201202017).: Research Funding; This work was also supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No.81000231, No.30971300, No.81270647), the Science and Technology Project of Guangdong Province of China (Grant No.2009A030200007).: Research Funding; This work was also supported by the Science and Technology Program of Guangzhou of China (11A72121174).: Research Funding.
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