Cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis (CMVR) is a common opportunistic infection of the eye after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in patients with hematological diseases. It often occurs within 3 months after the operation, with CMV activation and high blood CMV peaks. It often occurs on patients with long-term CMV viremia, human leukocyte antigen incompatible transplantation, unrelated donor transplantation, haploid transplantation, childhood hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, delayed lymphocyte engraftment, acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease after surgery. The visual prognosis of patients is related to the area of CMVR lesions on the retina, the number of quadrants involved, whether the macula is involved, and the CMV load of the vitreous body is involved, and it is not related to whether the Epstein-Barr virus infection is combined with blood and vitreous humor. The incidence of CMVR is increasing year by year. It is helpful that paying attention to systemic risk factors and epidemiology can provide more effective guidance for ophthalmologists during diagnosis and treatment, help patients improve the prognosis of vision, and reduce or even avoid the occurrence of blindness caused by CMVR.
Vaccine-associated uveitis (VAU) usually refers to a rare adverse reaction that occurs after vaccination. The clinical manifestations of VAU are most often anterior with mild symptoms and responded promptly to topical corticosteroids. However, more severe forms of posterior and panuveitis may also occur, such as multiple evanescent white dot syndrome, Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome, and acute posterior multifocal placoid pigment epitheliopathy. The pathogenesis of VAU is still unclear. Currently, it mainly includes vaccine Shoenfeld syndrome, type Ⅲ hypersensitivity reaction caused by immune complex deposition, direct infection with live attenuated vaccine, and molecular mimicry theory. VAU is self-limiting, and most patients heal without treatment. In the future, it is recommended to ask all patients with uveitis about their recent vaccination history in the clinic. For patients with inactivated vaccine or recombinant/subunit vaccination history, the possibility of developing Shoenfeld syndrome should be considered, and the history, signs and symptoms related to autoimmune diseases should be carefully looked for.
ObjectiveTo observe aqueous cytomegalovirus (CMV) DNA load in patients with cytomegalovirus retinitis (CMVR) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (Allo-HSCT), and to explore influencing factors for transient elevation of CMV-DNA load during the treatment. MethodsA retrospective study. From January 2016 to July 2020, 28 eyes of 19 patients with CMVR after Allo-HSCT diagnosed in the Department of Ophthalmology of Peking University People's Hospital were included in the study. Among them, there were 8 males with 12 eyes, 11 females with 16 eyes; the mean age was 28 years; 10 patients were unilateral and 9 patients were bilateral. During the course of treatment and follow-up, the blood CMV-DNA remained negative. All patients were treated with intravitreal injection of 60 mg/ml ganciclovir 0.05 ml (containing ganciclovir 3 mg), twice a week for two weeks in induction phase and weekly injection in maintenance phase. Aqueous humor sample was collected during injection of ganciclovir (IVG) and CMV-DNA load was determined by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Intravitreal treatment was terminated if aqueous CMV-DNA load turned negative after the fourth or later intravitreal injection. The patients were followed up every 2 weeks for at least 6 months. Serum CMV-DNA was negative in all patients during treatment and follow-up. All the eyes were divided into continuous decline group and non-continuous decline group depending on whether there was transient elevation of aqueous CMV-DNA load, and data between two groups were compared. Pearson linear regression analysis was used to analyze the correlation between aqueous CMV-DNA load and injection times or treatment duration. ResultsAt the end of treatment, the median number of IVG in the affected eye was 7 (4, 9). The results of correlation analysis showed that the aqueous humor CMV-DNA load of the affected eye was related to the number of treatments [R2=0.385, P＜0.000 1, B=－0.237 log10 copies/(ml · time)], and the duration of treatment [R2=0.394, P <0.000 1, B=－0.301 log10 copies/(ml · week)] were negatively correlated. Among the 28 eyes, 13 eyes (46.4%, 13/28) in the continuous decline group and 15 eyes (53.6%, 15/28) in the non-sustained decline group. Baseline visual acuity (t=－1.223), intraocular pressure (t=1.538), aqueous humor CMV-DNA load (t=－0.109), retinitis lesion area (Z=－0.308) in the continuous decline group and the non-continuous decline group), the number of quadrants involved (Z=－0.024) and whether the macula was involved (Z=－1.826), combined with anterior segment inflammation (Z =－0.499), combined with high intraocular pressure (Z=－1.342), terminal visual acuity (t =－0.845), intraocular pressure (t=－0.068), total IVG times (Z=0.907), age (Z=－0.832), gender composition (Z=－1.074), etc. The difference was not statistically significant (P＞0.05). ConclusionThe CMV-DNA load in aqueous humor decreases by about 50% every week during the treatment of CMVR eyes after Allo-HSCT; the transient increase in the CMV-DNA load in the aqueous humor during treatment does not affect the treatment process and clinical prognosis.