A Comparison of Cytomegalovirus and Community Respiratory Viruses in Immunocompromised Patients

Infection of organ transplant recipients with herpesviruses, especially cytomegalovirus (CMV), has been an important barrier to successful transplantation. Measures to prevent CMV infection have evolved based on the biology and epidemiology of the virus. Recently, community-acquired respiratory viruses have been recognized as an important cause of morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised hosts. It is unlikely that the strategies used to prevent and treat CMV disease will be applicable to the community respiratory viruses, owing to their different biology and epidemiology. Basic epidemiologic questions that focus on defining risk factors for disease and death from community-acquired respiratory viruses in the immunocompromised host have not been answered. The lack of established risk factors and a rapid “gold standard” diagnostic test for community-acquired respiratory viruses in the immunocompromised host has had a negative impact on the diagnosis and treatment of these infections. The study of CMV disease in organ transplant patients may serve as a blueprint for studies of community respiratory virus infections.