[Immunologic markers of the risk of cytomegalovirus infection among immunosuppressed patients]

Abstract

ELISA and complement fixation test (CF) were compared for the determination of the Cytomegalovirus (CMV) humoral immune status of donors and recipients before and after graft. ELISA-IgG was more sensitive than the CF test and permitted a better identification of the high risk donors and recipients. The presence of IgM antibodies in the recipient at the day of transplantation is an index of greater susceptibility to chronic or recurrent infection at a later date. In primary renal allograft recipient the detection of specific IgM antibodies by ELISA provides more rapid diagnosis than that by CF. In bone marrow transplants, ELISA-IgM showed a better correlation with the virus isolation than the CF test. In the reinfected renal allograft patients the presence of IgM was related to clinical manifestations. Using ELISA, specific decreases of CMV antibody titers were detected before virus isolation.