Lucia Dalle Ore

October 23, 2015

A Retrospective Look on a Current Issue: the Development of a more Individualized Treatment Strategy for Herpesvirus Infections in Pediatric Transplant Recipients.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) are two ubiquitous Herpes viruses that are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in solid organ transplant patients. While infection and treatment are well-outlined for adult patients, there remains a gap in knowledge in the context of CMV or EBV infection and treatment options in pediatric patients. Using Stanford University Medical Center's patient medical records databases, I went through ten years worth of pediatric patient data to begin to build an understanding of the manifestation of CMV and EBV infection in pediatric patients in an effort to create a more granular, individualized prophylaxis and treatment plan, and to define risk factors that lead to a higher probability of end-stage CMV or EBV disease.