Protective Cytomegalovirus (CMV)-Specific T-Cell Immunity Is Frequent in Kidney Transplant Patients without Serum Anti-CMV Antibodies.

ABSTRACT: The absence of anti-cytomegalovirus (CMV) immunoglobulin G (IgG) is used to classify pretransplant patients as naïve for CMV infection (CMV^neg patients). This study assessed whether pretransplant CMV-specific T-cell immunity exists in CMV^neg patients and whether it protects against CMV infection after kidney transplantation. The results show that CMV-specific CD137⁺IFNγ⁺CD4⁺ and CD137⁺IFNγ⁺CD8⁺ memory T cells were present in 46 and 39% of CMV^neg patients (n = 28) although at much lower frequencies compared to CMV^pos patients (median 0.01 versus 0.58% for CD4⁺ and 0.05 versus 0.64% for CD8⁺ T cells) with a less differentiated CD28-expressing phenotype. I

SUBMITTER: Litjens NHR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5600906 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature