An assessment of interactions between hepatitis C virus and herpesvirus reactivation in liver transplant recipients using molecular surveillance

✍ Scribed by Atul Humar; Kenneth Washburn; Richard Freeman; Carlos V. Paya; Houria Mouas; Emma Alecock; Raymund R. Razonable

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2007
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 103 KB
• Volume: 13
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1527-6465
• DOI: 10.1002/lt.21266

✦ Synopsis

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) has been proposed to have immunomodulatory effects in transplant recipients and may promote herpesvirus reactivation. To assess this, we compared the incidence of herpesvirus reactivation in HCV-positive and HCVnegative liver transplant recipients. Quantitative viral load testing was performed at regular intervals posttransplantation for cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), human herpesviruses (HHV) 6, 7, and 8, and varicella zoster virus (VZV) in 177 liver transplant patients who were HCV-positive (n ϭ 60) or HCV-negative (n ϭ 117). The incidence of CMV disease, CMV viremia, and the peak CMV viral load was not significantly different in HCV-positive vs. HCV-negative patients. Similarly, no differences in HHV-6 or EBV reactivation were observed. HHV-8 or VZV viremia was not detected in any patient in the study. A lower incidence of HHV-7 infection occurred in HCV-positive patients vs. HCV-negative patients (47.6% vs. 72.7%; P ϭ 0.006). In conclusion, these results suggest that HCV infection does not appear to promote herpesvirus reactivation after liver transplantation.