Seroprevalence of Cytomegalovirus in Haemodialysis Patients

Abstract

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is prevalent worldwide. It belongs to the β-herpesvirinae subfamily of Herpesviridae and comprises a double-stranded linear DNA genome and capsid, surrounded by an envelope. CMV infection is most prominently found in patients with kidney failure caused by various possible reasons such as urinary tract infection or systemic disease and are undergoing dialysis. The present study was conducted during the period of March 2020 to April 2021. It included 96 patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing hemodialysis (44 of patients were women and 52 men) within the age range of 11-70 years. Five-mL of the venous blood sample was drawn from each patient to conduct the rapid antibody test for the presence of CMV-specific antibodies (both IgG, and IgM). This study showed that the seroprevalence of CMV infection among haemodialysis patients was 75%. The seropositivity for CMV-IgG was 72.9% which was significantly higher than that for CMV-IgM (2.1%) for both sexes. The present study further demonstrated that the prevalence of positive CMV-IgG in males was higher than that in females (38.5% and 34.4%, respectively). In addition, the positivity of CMV-IgM was highest in the age group 61–70 years old (2.1%), while the positivity of CMV-IgG was highest in patients age groups 41–50 years (24%). The present study revealed a high seroprevalence of CMV infection among haemodialysis patients in Basrah City. The elevated seroprevalence could be related to many factors, including the endemicity of the virus, public health, patient immunity, environmental factors, and geographical location. CMV infection increases with age, and the infection rate in men was higher than that in women. The seroprevalence rate of CMV-IgG antibodies was higher than that of CMV-IgM antibodies, indicating a previous infection or reactivation of CMV virus among haemodialysis patients, leading to a high risk of CMV infection.