Increased Pulmonary Superinfections in Cardiac-Transplant Patients Undergoing Primary Cytomegalovirus Infection

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Abstract
CYTOMEGALOVIRUS infection is extremely common after renal transplantation, with evidence of infection in as many as 90 per cent1 to 96 per cent2 of patients. Although many recipients excrete the virus in their urine or saliva for months or years with no other evidence of disease, others have a relatively fulminant but variable syndrome of pneumonitis, fever, leukopenia and hepatitis.2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 At autopsy or lung biopsy, many transplant patients with pulmonary infiltrates have had both cytomegalovirus and concomitant bacterial pneumonia5 , 6 , 9 10 11 or pneumocystis.12 , 13 Thus, the exact pathogenic importance of cytomegalovirus is not fully clear.Recently, Hamilton et al. have shown a striking . . .