NDT Advance Access originally published online on June 24, 2008
Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation 2008 23(12):4054-4060; doi:10.1093/ndt/gfn355
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Impact of the complement lectin pathway on cytomegalovirus disease early after kidney transplantation
1 Department of Nephrology, Ullevål University Hospital, Oslo, Norway 2 Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Aarhus, Aarhus, Denmark 3 The Medical Research Laboratories, Clinical Institute of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Aarhus, Aarhus, Denmark 4 Institute of Immunology 5 Institute of Medical Microbiology 6 Department of Internal Medicine and Laboratory for Renal Physiology, University of Oslo and Rikshospitalet University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
Correspondence and offprint requests to: Solbjørg Sagedal, Department of Nephrology, Ullevål University Hospital, 0407 Oslo, Norway. Tel: +47-22-11-91-01; Fax: +47-22-11-91-81; E-mail: solbjorg.sagedal{at}ulleval.no
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Abstract |
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Background. This study retrospectively investigated the association between pre-transplant levels of mannose-binding lectin (MBL) plus the associated serine protease (MASP)-2 and the occurrence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and symptomatic CMV disease during the first 12 weeks after kidney transplantation.
Materials and methods. Altogether 159 consecutive single kidney transplant recipients were included. The patients were screened for CMV pp65 antigenaemia every second week. No CMV prophylaxis or pre-emptive treatment was given. MBL and MASP-2 were measured in samples taken at transplantation and 10 weeks later.
Results. CMV infection, defined as at least one positive test, was found in 95 patients (59.8%). MBL and MASP-2 measured at transplantation were similar in patients with and without CMV infection. The incidence of CMV infection was also similar in 36 patients (58.3%) with pre-transplant MBL levels below the reference level (500 µg/L) and in patients with higher MBL levels (60.2%). Symptomatic CMV disease was diagnosed in 35 patients (22%), and MASP-2 levels at transplantation in the lower quartile range (
148 µg/L) was significantly associated with CMV disease during the first 12 weeks, P = 0.028. MBL levels decreased significantly from transplantation to 10 weeks later, and median (interquartile range) fell from 2597 (526–4939) µg/L to 1520 (270–3069) µg/L (P < 0.001). In contrast, MASP-2 levels increased significantly from 252 (148–382) µg/L to 380 (302–492) µg/L (P < 0.001).
Conclusion. Pre-transplant MBL levels do not influence the incidence of any CMV infection or symptomatic CMV disease during the first 12 weeks after kidney transplantation. However, low MASP-2 levels may play a role in the development of symptomatic CMV disease.
Keywords: complement; cytomegalovirus infection; kidney transplantation; mannose-binding lectin; MASP-2
Received for publication: 18. 1.08
Accepted in revised form: 2. 6.08