Management of herpes virus infections following transplantation

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Abstract
Herpesvirus infections lead to significant morbidity and mortality in transplant recipients.1 Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most important virus in this respect, and prevention of CMV disease has been the subject of a large number of clinical trials. In addition, herpes simplex virus (HSV) and varicella zoster virus (VZV) can lead to severe disease. With regard to Epstein–Barr virus (EBV), post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD) is increasingly recognized as a major complication. By contrast, disease association with human herpes virus 6 (HHV-6) and human herpes virus 7 (HHV-7) infections following transplantation requires clarification, as does the natural history of these infections. There is little information available on human herpes virus 8 (HHV-8) infection in the transplant scenario.