Immunosuppression is commonly used for prevention of graft rejection in solid organ transplantation (SOT) and prevention of graft versus host disease in hematopoietic allogeneic stem cell transplant (ASCT). In ASCT, immunosuppression is used to control GVHD and can be tapered off within 6–12 months after transplantation. SOT recipients require lifelong immunosuppression to prevent graft rejection, making them susceptible to serious viral infections including EBV PTLD. EBV PTLD occurs within the first 6 months following ASCT prior to effective reconstitution of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL). Our understanding on EBV-related PTLD is mostly extrapolated from SOT-associated PTLD. Features of conditioning and use of serotherapy remain important in development of EBV PTLD. Other viral infections that occur early post-transplant include CMV, HHV6, BK, and adenovirus, and usually correspond to degree of immunosuppression post-transplant. These infections are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. However, the current literature lacks information on outcomes of viral infections related to immunosuppression. Alternative donor ASCT are now more common, and patients are more susceptible to multiple viral infectious complications at the peak of immunosuppression and require monitoring for viral infections in these immunosuppressed patients.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.