Cytomegalovirus vaccine in renal transplant candidates: Progress report of a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial

Prospective studies now have confirmed that CMV is an important pathogen for renal allograft recipients. Investigations from at least 12 renal transplant centers have provided convincing evidence that CMV is a major posttransplant problem, causing fever, leukopenia, arthralgia, pneumonitis, hepatitis, GI bleeding, encephalitis, retinitis, graft loss, and mortality. In our prospective study of 272 renal allograft recipients, CMV infection occurred after 181 (57%) transplants. Using a multivariate analysis that employed an exponential survival model, CMV was significant risk factor (P <0.05) for posttransplant fever, leukopenia, graft failure, and mortality.