Transient residence of a seropositive organ is sufficient to transfer human cytomegalovirus to a seronegative recipient.

Many aspects of the pathogenesis of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection in liver transplantation remain unclear. This study examined the transfer of HCMV from the transient residence of a seropositive organ in seronegative recipients. All subjects receiving >1 orthotopic liver transplant (LT) were identified from an LT database. The patients of interest were HCMV-seronegative LT recipients who received their first organ from a seropositive donor, and subsequently a second LT from a seronegative donor within 30days. Of 98 patients identified, 6 met these criteria and 4 developed viremia; in 2 cases, after the seropositive organ was in situ for 28 and 109h. We can therefore conclude that 28h is sufficient to allow HCMV to transmit, but the minimum time has not yet been defined.