Glomerulopathy in renal allografts from patients with and without active Cytomegalovirus infection

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection may affect renal graft survival, and a distinctive diffuse glomerulopathy has been described in renal grafts from patients with an active CMV infection. Fifty renal graft biopsies taken 30 to 180 days post-transplant from patients with primary, reactivated, inactive and no CMV infection were examined retrospectively for evidence of this glomerulopathy without knowledge of CMV status. The lesion was found in seven of 30 patients with reactivated CMV infection, one of 12 with primary infection, two of two with no evidence of active infection but evidence of previous infection, and in four of six with no evidence of past or present infection. The differences were not statistically significant. We concluded that the previously described distinctive diffuse glomerulopathy is not specifically associated with CMV infection, but may be a sign of graft rejection.