The following is the summary of “Cytomegalovirus infection in transplant recipients: newly approved additions to our armamentarium” published in the January 2023 issue of Clinical microbiology and infections by Khawaja, et al.
Transplant recipients of hematopoietic cells or solid organs face an enormous risk of contracting cytomegalovirus (CMV). In spite of drawbacks, including leukopenia and drug resistance, valganciclovir and ganciclovir have been successfully used to treat and prevent CMV infections. Therapies for ganciclovir-resistant CMV have had severe toxicity until recently. Despite progress, there is still a great demand for safe and effective treatments. The purpose of this article is to provide a synopsis of the available and prospective CMV antiviral medicines.
Researchers used the terms “Cytomegalovirus OR CMV,” “Transplant,” and “Antiviral” to locate articles that addressed their research questions. More weight was given to articles published in 2019 and afterward. The authors have evaluated the articles to determine their significance and suitability to the topic. In this review, investigators discuss recent developments in haematopoietic and solid-organ transplant recipients’ access to letermovir for CMV prophylaxis, the incidence of CMV infection during or after prophylaxis, the emergence of CMV resistance and refractoriness, and the use of the recently approved anti-CMV agent, maribavir.
Much progress has been made in protecting transplant recipients from developing CMV infections in recent years. Despite significant progress, recurrent and resistant CMV infections are still serious consequences following a transplant. Here, they focussed on developing medicines for preventing and treating CMV infections, especially those that have proven difficult to cure in the past.
Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1198743X22003482