Longitudinal real-time PCR monitoring of CMV DNAemia and renal function in living-donor kidney transplant recipients with low immunological risk.
- 1Organ Transplant Coordination Unit, Kahraman Eruslu Kidney Transplant Hospital, Gaziantep University, Gaziantep, Turkey.
- 2Department of Bioengineering and Sciences, Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam University, Kahramanmaraş, Turkey. [email protected].
- 3Department of General Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Gaziantep University, Gaziantep, Turkey.
Abstract
Objective
This study evaluated the association between CMV DNAemia and renal function during the first 12 months after living-donor kidney transplantation in recipients with low immunological risk and explored differences in CMV DNAemia according to preemptive kidney transplantation status.Materials and methods
A total of 112 living-donor kidney transplant recipients (mean age, 37.07 ± 14.41 years) were followed for 12 months. CMV DNAemia was monitored using quantitative real-time PCR targeting the UL55 (gB) gene. Longitudinal changes were analysed using Friedman and repeated-measures ANOVA, with the Mann -Whitney U test for between-group creatinine comparisons and the independent-samples t-test for GFR (p < 0.05).Results
CMV DNAemia was detected in 25.9% of recipients. Among recipients with CMV DNAemia, serum creatinine differed significantly across the four time points (p = 0.004), whereas GFR showed no significant change over time (p = 0.278). At 6 months, serum creatinine was significantly higher in recipients with CMV DNAemia than in those with no DNAemia (1.38 (1.05-1.70) vs. 1.17 (0.93-1.40) mg/dL; p = 0.047), while the between-group difference in GFR did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.054). Recipients who underwent preemptive kidney transplantation had numerically lower CMV DNA levels at month 6 (491 vs. 1206 IU/mL) than those with a history of dialysis. Urine protein-to-creatinine ratio (UPCR) decreased significantly during follow-up (p < 0.001), while WBC (p = 0.004) and CRP (p = 0.014) changed significantly over time.Conclusion
In unadjusted analyses, recipients with CMV DNAemia had significantly higher serum creatinine levels at 6 months compared with those with no DNAemia, while the corresponding difference in GFR was not statistically significant. Differences according to preemptive kidney transplantation status were descriptive and should not be interpreted as evidence of a protective effect. Because of the observational design of the study, these findings should be interpreted with caution and confirmed in prospective studies.
Related
- Alternate-Day Versus Consecutive-Day Anti-T Lymphocyte Globulin Induction in First Living-Donor Kidney Transplant Recipients at Low Immunological Risk: A Retrospective Cohort Study
- Association of delayed graft function with cardiovascular outcomes in kidney transplant recipients
- A Continuous Adherence Score, but Not Dichotomous BAASIS Screening, Is Associated with Graft Function in Kidney Transplant Recipients
- Longitudinal recovery of physical function after lung transplantation: a comparative analysis of ECMO and non-ECMO recipients.
- Multiparametric Magnetic Resonance Imaging in a Prospective Cohort of Living Kidney Donors, Recipients, and Healthy Controls and Correlations With Markers of Renal Function, Fibrosis, and Aging (MPRENAL): Protocol for a Longitudinal Observational Study.
BibTeX
@article{gultekin2026longitudinal,
title = {{Longitudinal real-time PCR monitoring of CMV DNAemia and renal function in living-donor kidney transplant recipients with low immunological risk.}},
author = {Mustafa Gülteki̇n and Esen Çakmak and Aziz Bulut},
journal = {BMC nephrology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1186/s12882-026-05460-5},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42920107},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Longitudinal real-time PCR monitoring of CMV DNAemia and renal function in living-donor kidney transplant recipients with low immunological risk.
AU - Mustafa Gülteki̇n
AU - Esen Çakmak
AU - Aziz Bulut
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/21
JO - BMC nephrology
DO - 10.1186/s12882-026-05460-5
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42920107
AB - Objective This study evaluated the association between CMV DNAemia and renal function during the first 12 months after living-donor kidney transplantation in recipients with low immunological risk and explored differences in CMV DNAemia according to preemptive kidney transplantation status.Materials and methods A total of 112 living-donor kidney transplant recipients (mean age, 37.07 ± 14.41 years) were followed for 12 months. CMV DNAemia was monitored using quantitative real-time PCR targeting the UL55 (gB) gene. Longitudinal changes were analysed using Friedman and repeated-measures ANOVA, with the Mann -Whitney U test for between-group creatinine comparisons and the independent-samples t-test for GFR (p < 0.05).Results CMV DNAemia was detected in 25.9% of recipients. Among recipients with CMV DNAemia, serum creatinine differed significantly across the four time points (p = 0.004), whereas GFR showed no significant change over time (p = 0.278). At 6 months, serum creatinine was significantly higher in recipients with CMV DNAemia than in those with no DNAemia (1.38 (1.05-1.70) vs. 1.17 (0.93-1.40) mg/dL; p = 0.047), while the between-group difference in GFR did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.054). Recipients who underwent preemptive kidney transplantation had numerically lower CMV DNA levels at month 6 (491 vs. 1206 IU/mL) than those with a history of dialysis. Urine protein-to-creatinine ratio (UPCR) decreased significantly during follow-up (p < 0.001), while WBC (p = 0.004) and CRP (p = 0.014) changed significantly over time.Conclusion In unadjusted analyses, recipients with CMV DNAemia had significantly higher serum creatinine levels at 6 months compared with those with no DNAemia, while the corresponding difference in GFR was not statistically significant. Differences according to preemptive kidney transplantation status were descriptive and should not be interpreted as evidence of a protective effect. Because of the observational design of the study, these findings should be interpreted with caution and confirmed in prospective studies.
SN - 1471-2369
ER -