Faculty, Staff and Student Publications
Language
English
Publication Date
1-1-2025
Journal
Frontiers in Pediatrics
DOI
10.3389/fped.2025.1663600
PMID
41018055
PMCID
PMC12463944
PubMedCentral® Posted Date
9-12-2025
PubMedCentral® Full Text Version
Post-print
Abstract
CMV infection remains the most common clinically significant infection in pediatric allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell (HCT) recipients, with seropositive recipients of transplants from seronegative donors at the highest risk for complications. In recent years, letermovir, a novel antiviral with a favorable toxicity profile, was approved first for adults and more recently for pediatric patients for the primary prophylaxis of CMV infection and disease in high-risk HCT recipients. Growing evidence from real-life data regarding the safety and efficacy of letermovir has transformed the landscape of CMV disease in HCT transplant recipients and led to a paradigm shift from a preemptive approach to prophylaxis. Other novel additions to the diagnosis, risk stratification, and treatment of CMV include the measurement of CMV-specific cellular-mediated immunity and the approval of maribavir as a treatment option for resistant/refractory CMV infection and disease. Other prevention and treatment modalities currently under development include virus-specific T cells, monoclonal antibodies, and vaccines. Despite these promising advancements, additional pediatric-specific studies are needed to better understand the viral and immunological implications of these novel preventive and therapeutic methods in this patient population.
Keywords
CMV, antiviral, hematopoietic cell transplant, pediatric, letermovir
Published Open-Access
yes
Recommended Citation
Lisa Hiskey, Diego R Hijano, and Ramia Zakhour, "Revisiting Cytomegalovirus in Pediatric Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Recipients: Current Strategies for Prevention and Management in the Letermovir Era" (2025). Faculty, Staff and Student Publications. 4294.
https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/uthmed_docs/4294