A review of herpesvirus infections in kidney transplant recipients: Diagnosis, treatment, and preventive strategies

Kidney transplantation is one of the best treatment methods for people with chronic kidney failure, and a large number of kidney transplants are performed worldwide every year. Pathogens that commonly infect kidney transplant recipients are viruses, bacteria, and protozoa. Among these, viruses are considered one of the biggest life-threatening factors in kidney transplant recipients. The reactivation of herpesviruses from the latent state often occurs in conditions of weakening the immune system, including after kidney transplantation. Infection with herpesviruses is still one of the main causes of complications and death for most kidney transplant recipients. Rapid diagnosis of active infection of these viruses in kidney transplant patients has a significant impact on the use of appropriate treatment strategies to reduce complications and transplant rejection.  For this reason, this review aims to provide information about the preventive strategies, diagnosis, and treatment of herpesviruses infections in kidney transplant recipients. In this brief review, we have updated the information presented in previous articles and adjusted it based on recent advances, updated clinical guidelines, and common post-transplant tactics to minimize the risk of infection.

کلیدواژه ها:

Human herpesviruses ، kidney transplantation ، kidney transplant recipients ، immunosuppressive drug ، infection management