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Evaluation of Use of Epstein-Barr Viral Load in Patients after Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation To Diagnose and Monitor Posttransplant Lymphoproliferative Disease

Department of Virology,¹ Department of Internal Medicine, University of Homburg/Saar, Homburg/Saar,⁴ Department of Internal Medicine, University of Tübingen, Tübingen,² Department of Pediatrics, University of Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany³

Received 14 August 2001/ Returned for modification 22 September 2001/ Accepted 10 November 2001

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-induced posttransplant lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD) continues to be a serious complication following transplantation. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the EBV load as a parameter for the prediction and monitoring of PTLD. The EBV load was analyzed by a quantitative competitive PCR with 417 whole-blood samples of 59 patients after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT). The EBV load was positive for all 9 patients with PTLD and for 17 patients without PTLD. The viral loads of patients with manifest PTLD differed from the loads of those without PTLD (median loads, 1.4 x 10⁶ versus 4 x 10⁴ copies/µg of DNA; P < 0.0001). A threshold value of 10⁵ copies/µg of DNA showed the best diagnostic efficacy (sensitivity, 87%; specificity, 91%). However, in patients with less than three major risk factors for PTLD, the positive predictive value of this threshold was rather low. One week prior to the manifestation of PTLD, the EBV load was as low in patients who developed PTLD as in patients without disease (median, 2.2 x 10⁴ copies/µg of DNA; P was not significant). EBV DNA tested positive first at 20 to 71 days prior to the clinical manifestation of PTLD and occurred with the same delay after transplantation regardless of disease (median delay, 52 versus 63 days; P was not significant). EBV DNA was detected earlier in patients with primary infections than in those with reactivations (33 versus 79 days; P = 0.01), but the peak levels were similar in the two groups. EBV primary infection or EBV reactivation is frequent in patients after allogeneic SCT but results in PTLD only in a subgroup of patients. Although evaluation of the EBV load has limitations, the EBV load represents a valuable parameter to guide therapy.

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