Immunologic Abnormalities Induced by Postperfusion Cytomegalovirus Infection

Clinical and immunologic features in ten patients with cytomegalovirus-induced postperfusion syndrome were studied. Fever, hepatosplenomegaly, and lymphocytosis were the most frequent clinical manifestations. In addition, lymphocytic leukemoid reactions were present in two patients, glomerulitis in one, and transient anemia in five. In three anemic subjects erythrocyte autoantibodies were found. Immunologic aberrations including rheumatoid factor, antinuclear antibodies, cold agglutinins, and cryoglobulins were detected in 9 of the 10 patients. The immunologic abnormalities appeared during the cytomegalovirus infection, disappeared when the mononucleosis-like syndrome resolved, and were not present in a control group consisting of 29 patients who had undergone cardiopulmonary bypass without developing cytomegalovirus infection. These observations indicate that cytomegalovirus infection can induce a variety of clinical and immunologic abnormalities in postperfusion patients.