Background and Objective: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections are associated with severe morbidity and mortality in patients, especially pediatric renal transplantation patients. The use of immunosuppressive agents places these patients at the risk of viral infections. As cytomegalovirus infection influences the graft outcome, adopting useful strategies for limiting this virus after transplantatio...

PURPOSE The mechanism of action, pharmacokinetics, and other advantages and disadvantages of ganciclovir and valganciclovir are discussed. SUMMARY Shortcomings of oral ganciclovir include low bioavailability, large pill burden, patient nonadherence, and the emergence of resistance. Valganciclovir, an oral prodrug of ganciclovir, has a nearly tenfold greater absolute bioavailability than ganci...

BACKGROUND The occurrence and clinical course of late primary CMV infections developing after valganciclovir prophylaxis in high-risk renal transplant recipients are poorly described. METHODS Helsinki University Hospital district kidney allograft recipients between January 2004 and March 2007 (N = 175) were prospectively investigated. Patients with D+/R- CMV serostatus and 1-year follow-up we...

Valganciclovir has widely become the agent of choice for the prevention of cytomegalovirus in recipients of organ transplants. Optimal dosing is needed to achieve efficacy and avoid toxicity. For subjects at high risk of cytomegalovirus, it is strongly suggested that full-dose (based on renal function) valganciclovir be used. While low-dose valganciclovir appears to be efficacious in some repor...

Ganciclovir and valganciclor are antiviral agents used for the treatment of cytomegalovirus retinitis. The conventional method for administering ganciclovir in cytomegalovirus retinitis patients is repeated intravitreal injections. In order to obviate the possible detrimental effects of repeated intraocular injections, to improve compliance and to eliminate systemic side-effects, we investigate...

BACKGROUND : A 57 year old Italian female with a 3 year history of constituitional symptoms with non-HIV Kaposi sarcoma was referred to the immunology clinic. She was previously diagnosed with chronic human herpes virus 8 (HHV8) infection with positive HHV8 polymerase chain reaction in serum. OBJECTIVE : Is valganciclovir effective in treating chronic human herpes virus 8 infection without Mu...

background and objective: cytomegalovirus (cmv) infections are associated with severe morbidity and mortality in patients, especially pediatric renal transplantation patients. the use of immunosuppressive agents places these patients at the risk of viral infections. as cytomegalovirus infection influences the graft outcome, adopting useful strategies for limiting this virus after transplantatio...

A 60-year-old male patient who presented with generalized weakness and low-grade fever was diagnosed to be human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive a CD4 count of 17. Routine laboratory investigations revealed pancytopenia. Serum cytomegalovirus (CMV) DNA polymerase chain reaction (PCR) fundoscopy showed CMV retinitis in the right eye. The started on tablet valganciclovir. After 2 weeks, bro...

We conducted a clinical trial of oral valganciclovir, a drug with in vitro activity against Kaposi sarcoma (KS)-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), in classic KS. Five human immunodeficiency virus-seronegative participants received valganciclovir for up to six 4-week cycles at doses used for cytomegalovirus infection. None of the study subjects showed an objective response; KS progressed in 4 subjec...