Preventing infections caused through transplantation through monitoring
Transplantations of solid organs, tissues, or cells from a donor to a recipient are often the only cure for certain diseases or health conditions. Transplantations save and extend patient’s lives or dramatically improve their quality of life. Complications due to infections are the main cause of morbidity and mortality after (organ) transplantation.1 These infections can be either donor-derived or opportunistic post-transplant due to immunosuppressive treatment in the recipient.
While complications related to organ rejection are kept under control with immunosuppressive agents, donor-derived and recipient-derived infections are still on the rise due to patient susceptibility.1 Major transplant-transmitted infections are through viruses, such as cytomegalovirus (CMV), BK virus (BKV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), herpes simplex virus (HSV) and some bacteria such as mycobacterium and fungi. Of these, CMV is one of the major sources of transplant-transmitted infection, affecting about 60-100% of adults after transplantation.2