Seroprevalence of Cytomegalovirus Antibodies in Haemodialysis Patients

Authors: SEBAHATTİN OCAK, NİZAMİ DURAN, ALİ FUAT ESKİOCAK

Abstract: Background: Although symptoms of infection caused by cytomegalovirus (CMV) in healthy adults are generally mild, the virus is known to produce severe symptoms most often in immunocompromised patients. Patients with chronic renal failure are prone to CMV infection. CMV, as a nosocomial infection in immunocompromised patients, is a problem for clinicians. Aim: We aimed to investigate the seroprevalence of CMV infection among the haemodialysis (HD) patients in our region. Patients and Methods: Serum samples were taken from 255 patients who received treatment in 3 different HD clinics and a control group of 70 healthy persons. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to investigate anti-CMV IgG and IgM antibodies. Results: Positivity for anti-CMV IgG was found in 254 (99.6%) of the 255 HD patients and 58 (82.9%) of the 70 controls. The difference between the 2 groups was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Positivity for anti-CMV IgM antibody was noted in 1 (0.4%) of the 255 HD patients. Conclusions: The prevalence of CMV infection among HD patients in our region was quite high. Because patients receiving HD treatment can be exposed to CMV infection, we recommend that HD patients who are susceptible to CMV infection should be identified with anti-CMV IgG and IgM specific serological tests.

Keywords: Haemodialysis, CMV, seroprevalence

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