Intensity of cytomegalovirus infection and frequency of acute heart allograft rejection in different categories of recipient/donor seropositivity

A scoring table to quantify the intensity (average clinical score) of CMV infection in 54 heart allograft recipients was created. Scores were assigned on the basis of presence and severity of each particular clinical CMV‐related symptom or sign. In total, 35 CMV infections occurred in 54 patients (65%). Symptomatic CMV infection developed in 19 patients (35%) of which 7 were primary infections and 11 reactivations/reinfections. It was noticed that the seropositive donor had a significant influence on the outcome of the seronegative recipient: all 7 symptomatic primary infections occurred in recipients with seropositive allografts (p<0.05). The severity of infection in preoperalively seropositive recipients was significantly milder than that in seronegalivce recipients with seropositive donors (clinical score 2.25 vs. 5.43, respectively; p<0.05). In our study no correlation between CMV infection and acute biopsy proven rejection could be found.