Hardy, A

Ho, M

Wajszczuk, CP

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; II I" , Ii I '!1 IN I. ... Infections in Kidney, Heart, and Liver Transplant Recipients on Cyclosporine D~ -M. Ho, C. P. Wajszczuk, A. Hardy, J. S. Dummer, T. E. Starzl, T. R. Hakala, and H. T. Bahnson OUR study involves 216 patients trans-planted at the University of Pittsburgh from 1978 to 1983 (Table I). This includes 64 kidney patients on cyclosporine (CsA), of which 21 were in a randomized trial of CsA, with 17 patients on azathioprine (AZA).I Since the latter was a small number, 59 renal patients on AZA from 1978 to 1980 are included for comparison. Except for the immunosuppressive drugs, all renal transplant recipients received comparable management largely from the same surgical team. In addi-tion, from 1981 to 1983, we followed 33 heart and 43 liver transplant recipients who were all on CsA. This drug was first introduced in Pittsburgh in March 1981. A preliminary report of infections in these groups has been published. 2 This article provided additional patients, data, and follow-up material. MATERIALS AND METHODS All renal groups were followed for at least 6 months. Heart and liver patients were followed for a minimum of 3 months. The mean duration of follow-up for the latter 2 groups were 277 and 221 days, with a range of 90-400 and 90-594 days. Most patients received intravenous methylprednisolone I day prior to surgery. CsA was given according to Starzl et al. l On the day of surgery, 17.5 mg/kg/day was given orally, and attempts were made to reduce the dose to 3-10 mg/kg/day, Patients on AZA were begun on 5 mg/kg/day, with maintenance of 2.5 mg/kg/day. All patients on CsA and AZA also received prednisone. Patients on CsA received somewhat less cumulative prednisone than those on AZA.' The 3 types of transplant patients on CsA were on similar regimens, except 6 of 33 cardiac recipients also received antithymo-From the Department of Infectious Diseases and />"ficrobiology, Graduale Schoo/ ofPuhlic Health and the Department of Medicine and Surgery. School of Medi-cine. University of Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh, fA. Supported in part by NIH Grant /-ROI-AI-19377, Address reprint requests 10 Dr, Ho. Crabtree A-427. I./niwrsily of Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh. fA 15261. '91983 hy Grutle & Siratton, Inc. 0041-1 345/SJ/ 1505 -0105501,00/0 cyle globulin for rejection. They were not significantly different in terms of episodes of infection. 'l>' Infections are defined as clinically significant disease based on clinical and laboratory diagnosis, except in the case of virus infections, where the distinction between infection and symptomatic infection or disease is made. .... Throat washings, urine samples, and blood buffy coats were obtained routinely for cytomegalovirus (CMV) and herpes simplex virus (HSV) cultures weekly for the first 8 postoperative weeks, biweekly during the third month, and monthly thereafter. Serum samples were obtained, ~ when possible, from recipients and donors prior to trans-plantation and from recipients at monthly intervals after transplantation. CMV and Epstein-Barr virus CEBV) serology were performed as previously described." ...... RESULTS Table 2 is a summary of infections in all the 1981-1983 groups. Consider first the renal <{/1 groups. The percent of patients who had at . least one infection, as well as mean episodes of infection per patient, was significantly higher 'Q in the randomized azathioprine group (88% ~ and 2.18) than in the CsA group (61 % and 0.98). None of the infections in the renal groups was associated with deaths, of which ~g~_ there was only one. The cardiac and liver transplant groups on CsA had more infection than the renal group _.,,_ on esA immunosuppression. The sites ot infections in the kidney, heart, and liver groups varied (Table 3). Most frequent infec-tions for the 3 groups, respectively, were uri -nary tract, pulmonary and intrathoracic, and abdominal and gastrointestinal infections. Kidney recipients had the lowest frequency of "!l" -bacteremias. Only the liver group had fUL gemia. Perhaps more important is the fact that mortality associated with severe infec- : tions was significant in the heart and live ... ~ groups. Many of the liver group died acutel~ with many infections. This is reflected in tt fact that 50% of all episodes of infection W'2 .' acquired I month after liver transplantatiOl To reach the same proportion, cardiac '-patients took 3 months, , .: 2768 TransplantatIon Proceeamgs, Vol, XV, Nr>. 4, SuppL 1 (December). 1983 : INFECTIONS IN TRANSPLANT RECIPIENTS ON CSA Table 1. Transplant Groups at PUH" FOllowed for Infections Time of Type No. of Transplant Transplant Patients 1981-1982 Kidneyt 64 1981-1982 Kidneyt 21 1981-1982 Kidneyt 17 1978-1980 Kidney 59 1981-1983 Heart 33 1981-1983 Liver 43 "Presbyterian-University Hospital, University of Pittsburgh. t All kidney patients on CsA. tPatients on randomized GsA, AZA trial. Mean Age Immunosuppression 36 CsA 41 CsA 41 AZA 33 AZA 40 CsA 36 CsA Table 2. Infections and Fatalities in 1981-1983 Transplant Recipients Renal Transplant Groups Random Random AIICsA Cardiac AZA CsA Renal Transpl. Patient Characteristic In - 17) In- 21) In - 64) In - 33) All infections Percent Infected" 88% 71% 61% 76% Total episodes 37 24 63 52 Mean episodest 2.18 1.14 0.98 1.58 Nonviral infections Percent infected 82% 43% 41% 58% Total episodes 28 13 39 30 Mean episodes 1.65 0.62 0.61 0.91 Infection-associated deaths/total deaths 0/0 0/0 0/1 9/14 "Percent patients developing one or more infections. tTotal number of episodes divided by number of patients. 2768 Duration of Follow-up 6 months- 1 year 6 months- 1 year 6 months-1 year 6 months- 1 year 3 months-1 year 4 months- 1 year Liver Transpl. In-43) 81% 98 2.23 65% 70 1.63 17/20 Table 3. Site of Infections According to Type of Transplant Patient on Cyclosporine Type of Transplant Kidney Heart Liver Frequent Sites of Infection Percent of Site All Infections Urinary tract 41% Pulmonary and 38% intrathoracic Abdominal and 35% gastrointestinal Bacterenlias Fungemia 5% 0% 24% 0% 30% 16% Table 4. Organisms Causing Infections in 1981-1983 Transplant Recipients Renal Transplant Groups Random Random AIICsA Cardiac AZA CsA Renal Transpl. Organism In - 17) In - 211 (n- 64) In - 33) Gram-negative aerobes 18 (53)" 10 (39) 37 (34) 13 (33) All gram-positive 11 (53) 7 (29) 13 (17) 10(24) Staphylococcus 7 (41) 1 (5) 4(6) 4 (12) Fungus 0(0) 1 (5) 1 (2) 1 (3) Other 12 (71) 13 (48) 30 (36) 27 (58) Total 46 (88%) 13 (86%) 81 (67%) 51 (79%) "N umber of isolates (parcent patients infected by isolate). Infection-Associated Deaths 0% 27% 40% Liver Transpl. (n- 43) 36 (49) 29 (58) 12 (23) 22 (44) 23 (47) 110 (88%) ----.,.--i I 1 2770 HO ET AI_. Table 5. Effect of Azathioprine and Cyclosporine on Infections in Renal Transplant Recipients Group Random AZA 1978-1980 AZA CsA Bacteremias 5/17 (29%) 11/59(19%) 3/64 (5%) Staph BacteremIa 2/17 (12%) 5/59 (9%) 0/64 (0%) 'Based on data for all renal transplantation 1978-1982. Table 4 presents organisms responsible for in fections in the 1981-1983 transplant groups. The following are notable. (1) Gram-iicg<itive aer~bes were significant pathogens in aJl groups. (2) Gram-positive infections, par-ti,;ularly staphylococcal infections, were more common in the randomized AZA group than all other groups on CsA. (3) Severe fungus infections were a serious problem only in the liver transplant patients. Forty-four percent of liver patients had serious fungal infections and 16% were fungemic. The most common agent was Candida, which caused serious infections in 15 patients. Of these, 3 had disseminated disease, 6 had fungemia, 7 had abdominal, and 3 had lung and chest infec-tions. Four patients had aspergillosis, in whom one produced dissemination and 3 produced pneumonia or chest infections. There was one severe Mucor wound infection and one crypto-~DFccal meningitis. (4) Symptomatic viral nfections, included here under "other," were a problem in cardiac transplant patients and are discussed below. Renal patients on AZA had more infections that were more severe and were predomi-nately Staphylococcal (Table 5). This state-ment is substantiated by including data from Lung Lung Infection Staph Pneumocysti<:< 5/17 (29%) 3/17 (18%) 23/59 (39%) 5/59 (8%) 6/179 (3%)' 5/64 (8%) 0/64 (0%) 14/156 (::%)+ the 1978-1980 AZA group, whose incidence of infection was similar to the small randolll-ized AZA group of 1981-1983.2 The two AZA groups had 29% and 39% pneumonias, as opposed to 8% for the CsA group. Stap'lylo-coccal penumonias and bacteremias were ak:l more common in patients on AZA. In con-trast, the incidence of non-life-threatening urinary tract infections were almost identical: 41%, 39%, and 42% (not shown in tab;e). Pneumocystis pneumonia, however, may be a special problem in renal patients on CsA. Our total Pittsburgh incidence rates for the AZA and CsA groups prior to the institution trimethoprim-sulfa prophylaxis in September 1982 were 3.4% and 9.0%, respectively, which are significantly different. This problem is discussed by Hardy et al. elsewhere in this issue. Virus infections, particularly of the herpes-virus group (CMV, HSV, VZV, and EBV' are frequent occurrences after organ trans-plantation.5 In previous experience, the degree-and type of immunosuppression has been crit; cal in determining the morbidity. In renal transplant recipients, antithymocyte globulin has been associated with more symptomatic infection. 6 Primary infections, i.e., those Table 6. Herpesvirus Infections in 1981-1983 Transplant Recipients Renal Transplant Groups Random Random AZA CsA In - 17) In - 20) Sympto- Sympto-Virus No. (%) matlC No. 1%) matte No. AIICMV 13 (761 15 (75) 46 CMV VIremia 5 (26) 1 8 (40) 1 20 Herpes simplex 9 (53) 6 8 (40) 6 26 Herpes zoster 0 10) 0 (5) 2 Total symptomatic 7141 )t 7(35) 'Signlficantly different from other CsA groups (X' test!. p < 0.05. tNumb-:;r nRtients symptomatic (% of group). AllCsA Cardiac Liver Renal Transpl. Transpl. In - 60) In - 29) In ~ 271 Sympto- Sympto- Sympto-1%) matic No. 1%) matlc No 1%1 matlc (77) 5 27 (93) 10· 21 157) 12 (33) 5 18 (621 ~l" 15 1411 Ie (43) 14 16 (55) 8 19 (51) 9 (3) 2 3 !10) 3 2 i5) 2 19132) 17(59). 1814;::) .), 1983 INFECTIONS IN TRANSPLANT RECIPIENTS ON CSA 2771 Table 7. Primary and Reactivation CMV Infections in 1981 -1983 Transplant Recipients Renal Transplant Groups Random Random AZA CsA Pretransplant In - 171 In ~ 201 Serologic Statal:> (iT 1%1- Syt liT 1%1 Sy Posilive 10/13 (77) 1 15/17 (88) Neyative 3/4 (75) 0 0/3 (0) Totallnfected 13/17 (76) 15/20 (75) -I/T (%). infected/total evaluable (%). rSy. symptomatic patients. occurring in seronegative recipients, have been iound to be more symptomatic.7 Hvrpesvirus infections in our transplant groups are presented in Table 6. The first row describes all CMV infections diagnosed by isol2 ting the virus from routine throat, urine, or bood buffy coat specimens. The majority of p2tients became infected, and the rates are ndistinguishable from results from previous c:'e:; of patients, most of whom were on A£:A. As a group of agents, herpesviruses and gram-negative aerobes are the most frequent causes of symptomatic infections. , The incidence of CMV viremia varied from 21'-% to 62%. All patients who had symptom-atic CMV infection were viremic, but there ,./ere also many viremic patients who were not symptomatic. The percent of patients with symptomatic disease due to CMV and herpes-,-uses in general was significantly higher in K::~ cardiac group. They also had more viremia due to CMV. Of the patients with symptomatic CMV ., ,xtion, there were three cases of CMV ::umonitis in the renal group on CsA. In a 'parate communication (Hardy et aI., this .ue), the relationships of CMV infection to 1'reumocystis pneumonia is discussed. Five of AIICsA Cardiac Liver Renal Transpl. Transpl. In ~ 601 In - 251 In - 181 liT 1%1 Sy liT 1%1 Sy lIT 1%1 Sy 42/51 (82) 4 15/15 (100) 5 7/10 (70) 2 4/9 (44) 9/10 (90) 5 5/8 (62) 2 46/60 (77) 5 24/25 (96) 10 12/18 (66) 4 the ten symptomatic cases in the cardiac group were associated with CMV in the lung. One was found in association with pneumo-cystis in a lung biopsy and four were found at autopsy. There were 12 symptomatic cases in the liver group, including one case of intersti-tial pneumonia and three instances of dissemi-,nated disease found at autopsy. Primary and reactivation CMV infections are listed in Table 7. Except for a suggestion in the case of cardiac transplant recipients that primary infection in previously seronega-tive subjects resulted in more symptomatic infection than reactivation infection, the num-bers are too small to incriminate primary more than reactivation infections in symptom-atic disease. Rates for EBV infection are shown in Table 8. Cardiac transplant recipients had more infection, and only they had probable symp-tomatic disease due to EBV (see Dummer et aI., this issue). However, our total experience is stilI rela tivel y small. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS Renal patients on CsA had fewer bactere-mias, pneumonias, and gram-positive staphy-lococcal infections than renal patients on Table 8. Epstein-Barr Virus Infections in 19B1-1983 Transplant Recipients Renal Transplant Groups Pretransplant Random Random AIICsA Cardiac Liver IgG-VCA AZA esA Renal TranspL TranspL Negative 0/0 0/1 1/3 3/3 0/1 Positive 2/17 3/19 5/34 8/21 1/13 Total infected 2/17 3/20 6/37 11/24· 1/14 Percent 12% 15% 16% 46% 7% i 'Significantly different from all other groups on CsA, p < 0.01 . F've were symptomatic; two had primary infections. onf : lad BV lymphoma. f 1772 AZA. Patients on CsA may be at risk for pneumocystis. Severity and site of infection is largely determined by type of transplantation. Heart and liver transplant recipients had serious chest and abdominal infections. Serious fungal infections occurred largely in liver transplant recipients. HO ET Al. Almost every patient was infected with CMV; 8%-34% developed symptomatic dis-ease. This was always associated with vire- ~ mla. Heart transplant recipients developed more CMV viremia and more EBV infection. They also had more symptomatic disease from all ... herpesviruses. REFERENCES 1. Kiintmalm GBG, Starzl TE, Iwatsuki S, et al: Transplant Proc 14:98, 1982 2. Dummer JS, Hardy A, Ho M, et al: Transplanta-tion (in press) 3. Starzl TE, Klintmalm GBG, Weil RW, et al: Surg Gynecol Obstet 153:486, 1981 4. Hakala TR, Starzl TE, Rosenthal JE, et al: Trans-plant Proc 15:465, 1983 5. Ho M: Cytomegalovirus: Biology and Infection. ~ew York, Plenum, 1982 6. Marker SC, Howard RJ, Simmons RL, et al: Sur- .... gery 89:660, 1980 7. Ho M, Suwansirikul S. Dowling lN, et a!: N Eng! J Med293:1109,1975 '", 

Infections in kidney, heart, and liver transplant recipients on cyclosporine

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Infections in kidney, heart, and liver transplant recipients on cyclosporine

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