Failure to prevent cytomegalovirus infection by cytomegalovirus hyperimmune plasma: a randomized trial by the Nordic Bone Marrow Transplantation Group

Abstract

Bone marrow transplantation recipients who were cytomegalovirus (CMV) seropositive and/or had a CMV seropositive donor were randomized for treatment with CMV hyperimmune plasma (n = 27) or no treatment at all (n = 27). The CMV hyperimmune plasma had neutralization titers greater than 250 and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay titers greater than 18,000. Plasma (200 mg/kg body weight) was given on four occasions (during 2 days) from day 3 to day 76 after transplantation. Patient characteristics were similar in the two groups. After transplantation, the median CMV titers increased with greater than 100% in the group receiving the CMV plasma and decreased to less than 50% in the controls (p less than 0.01). Asymptomatic CMV infections occurred in 26% of the patients in the plasma group and 33% of the controls. The frequency of patients with symptomatic CMV infections was also the same in the two groups (51% vs 33%). Three patients each in the two groups developed CMV-associated interstitial pneumonitis. Patient survival and causes of death were similar in the two groups. To conclude, no beneficial effect of CMV hyperimmune plasma was seen in patients at high risk of developing CMV infections.