Peripheral blood lymphocyte responses to cytomegalovirus seropositivity after allogeneic-hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Abstract

Jiexin Zhang,1,2,* Xian Chen,1,2,* Guodong Rong,1,2 Ting Xu,1,2 Hong Zhao,1,2 Dan Chen,1,2 Lei Wu,1,2 Peijun Huang,1,2 Fang Wang1,2 1Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 210029, Nanjing, China; 2National Key Clinical Department of Laboratory Medicine, 210029, Nanjing, China *These authors contributed equally to this work Background: The main purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship among cytomegalovirus (CMV) viremia, peripheral immune cells alternations, and leukemia prognosis. Patients and methods: We studied 90 leukemia patients who underwent allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) from 2008 to 2015. Their complete clinical laboratory data were collected until 1 year after transplantation. Results: All patients were serum CMV negative before allo-HSCT. After transplantation, the CMV reactivation group showed increased peripheral CD8+ T cells and decreased CD4+ T cells and B cells. However, CD8/CD4 ratio and B cells restored by control of CMV infection due to 2 months maximum course of ganciclovir treatment. CMV seropositivity was positively related to leukemia-free survival (LFS) of all recruited leukemia types. Conclusion: In summary, CMV drives immune cell post-transplantation fluctuation, which also favors LFS of leukemia partly resulted from CD8+ T cells. Keywords: cytomegalovirus, leukemia, allo-HSCT, CD8+ T cells, leukemia-free survival

Keywords

• Cytomegalovirus
• Leukemia
• Allo-HSCT
• CD8+ T cells
• Leukemia-free survival