Cytomegalovirus infection in severe burn patients monitoring by real-time polymerase chain reaction: A prospective study

Abstract Background Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection has been shown to occur not rarely in critically ill patients in the past decade. However, little data are available on CMV infection in burn patients whereas their susceptibility to CMV infection has been proved. Methods We prospectively assessed CMV viremia by real-time polymerase chain reaction and clinical outcome in immunocompetent burn patients with total burn surface area greater than 15%. Results Twenty-nine patients were enrolled. The rate of CMV infection was of 71% in CMV seropositive burn patients, and of 12.5% in CMV seronegative burn patients. CMV reactivation was associated with a higher IGS 2 score on admission. High grade CMV viremia was associated with longer mechanical ventilation duration, higher infection number, higher transfused red blood cell number, and longer ICU stays. There were no differences on mortality rate between patients with and without CMV reactivation. Conclusion CMV infection rate is considerable in burn patients with TBSA greater than 15%. This infection seems to be mostly due to reactivation of latently existing virus.