{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,30]],"date-time":"2025-07-30T15:58:33Z","timestamp":1753891113064,"version":"3.41.2"},"reference-count":36,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,16]],"date-time":"2025-04-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1744761600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Immunol."],"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Background<\/jats:title><jats:p>Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection represents a significant complication for kidney transplant recipients (KTRs). The goal of this study was to evaluate potential immunological markers at pre-transplant in HCMV-seropositive KTRs for predicting HCMV severe reactivation (e.g treated HCMV reactivation) during the first year after transplant.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>Before transplant, lymphocyte count was measured in whole blood and HCMV-specific T-cell response was determined using ELISpot assay after stimulation with pp65, IE-1 and IE-2 peptides pool. HCMV DNA was monitored during the first year after transplant. Among the 65 KTRs enrolled, 44 (68%) patients had HCMV self-resolving reactivation (Controllers) while 21 (32%) required antiviral treatment for HCMV reactivation (Non-Controllers).<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>No significant difference in CD4 T-cell count was observed, but Controllers had higher CD8<jats:sup>+<\/jats:sup> T-cell counts compared to Non-Controllers. Based on ROC analysis, a CD8<jats:sup>+<\/jats:sup> T-cell count \u2265215 cells\/\u03bcl was associated with a lower incidence of HCMV reactivation after transplant. Additionally, a higher IE-1-specific T-cell response was observed in Controllers and patients with IE1-specific T-cell response \u226560 spots showed a reduced incidence of HCMV reactivation and lower DNAemia peak.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Discussion<\/jats:title><jats:p>Lymphocyte counts and HCMV-specific T-cell response can be measured at pre-transplant in KTRs in order to efficiently predict the risk of treated HCMV reactivation during the first year after transplant. Potential cut-off and diagnostics algorithm should be better investigated in a large patients setting.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fimmu.2025.1538795","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,16]],"date-time":"2025-04-16T05:25:26Z","timestamp":1744781126000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Pre-transplant IE1-specific T-cell response and CD8+ T-cell count as predictive markers of treated HCMV reactivation in kidney transplant recipients"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Federica","family":"Zavaglio","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Irene","family":"Cassanti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Marilena","family":"Gregorini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Maria Antonietta","family":"Grignano","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Teresa","family":"Rampino","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Daniele","family":"Lilleri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Fausto","family":"Baldanti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,16]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/ajt.14208","article-title":"Infection in organ transplantation","volume":"17","author":"Fishman","year":"2017","journal-title":"Am J Transplant"},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1399-0012.2006.00618.x","article-title":"Cytomegalovirus in transplantation - challenging the status quo","volume":"21","author":"Fishman","year":"2007","journal-title":"Clin Transplant"},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.4254\/wjh.v6.i6.370","article-title":"Management of cytomegalovirus infection and disease in liver transplant recipients","volume":"6","author":"Bruminhent","year":"2014","journal-title":"World J Hepatol"},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/TP.0b013e31829df29d","article-title":"Updated international consensus guidelines on the management of cytomegalovirus in solid-organ transplantation","volume":"96","author":"Kotton","year":"2013","journal-title":"Transplantation"},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/MOT.0000000000001139","article-title":"Recent advances in cytomegalovirus infection management in solid organ transplant recipients","volume":"29","author":"Grossi","year":"2024","journal-title":"Curr Opin Organ Transplant"},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"93","DOI":"10.1111\/ajt.12103","article-title":"AST Infectious Diseases Community of Practice. 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