Serum antibody profile against herpesviruses in renal transplant recipients.

Forty-eight renal allograft recipients who had received a kidney graft 2 months to 8 years previously, were followed for the presence of serum antibody against Cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), Herpes simplex virus (HSV), and Varicella-Zoster virus (VZV). These investigations were performed over a 6 months period and in at least two serum samples from each patient, obtained at intervals of 2-3 months. The presence of serological signs of recent or active infection were observed in 31 patients for CMV, in 22 patients for EBV (18 patients were positive both for CMV and EBV) and only in 3 patients for HSV, while no patients showed serological signs of recent or active infection by VZV.