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

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.