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Understanding Viral Load Assays for Cytomegalovirus and Epstein-Barr Virus



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Treatment for EBV Infection or PTLD

Slide 9

March 2010

Treatments for EBV-infected patients are usually targeted towards the abnormal B-cell proliferation. Like CMV, a preemptive strategy has been proposed to be a way to balance the risks and benefits of treatment modalities.

The first treatment decision is often to reduce immunosuppression of the patient to allow the body's own defenses to control the B-cell replication. Another option is to treat with Rituximab, which specifically targets B cells. There are other treatments being studied, such as cytotic T-cell transfer, wherein a patient is infused with a specific immune cell type that helps to control B-cell replication.

Unfortunately the risks of treatment are not benign, and include not only drug-drug interactions or side effects, but also could result in a rejection of the transplanted organ for solid organ transplant recipients, or graft-versus-host disease in the case of stem cell transplant recipients.

EBV or PTLD Treatment

 


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