Cytomegalovirus: An Unresolved Puzzle in Transplantation
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Microbiology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 January 2026 | Viewed by 24
Special Issue Editors
Interests: transplant; cytomegalovirus; herpesviruses; proteomics; kidney disease
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Cytomegalovirus is a β-herpesvirus that establishes lifelong latency in the host, with the potential to reactivate. While reactivation is typically asymptomatic in immunocompetent individuals, it poses a serious threat to immunocompromised individuals, particularly transplant recipients who require long-term intensive immunosuppressive therapy to prevent rejection.
Despite prophylaxis and pre-emptive therapies, CMV reactivation remains a major complication after transplantation, contributing to an increased risk of graft dysfunction, secondary infections, post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders, and overall worse outcomes.
Multiple factors have been implicated in triggering CMV reactivation and replication; however, precise mechanisms remain elusive. A deeper understanding of mechanisms regulating CMV persistence, latency, reactivation, and immune evasion is critical for developing novel strategies to prevent reactivation and its clinical sequelae.
This Special Issue will highlight recent advances in CMV research, with a particular focus on translational insights relevant to transplantation. We welcome the submission of original research papers and review articles that address cellular and molecular mechanisms of latency establishment and maintenance, viral reactivation, virus–host interactions, host immune responses, and emerging therapeutic and diagnostic strategies. We encourage interdisciplinary research that bridges virology, immunology, and clinical science, as well as studies that apply novel experimental models, high-throughput technologies, or omics-based approaches, aiming to advance our understanding of CMV pathogenesis and its relevance to immunocompromised populations.
Dr. Eleonora Forte
Prof. Dr. Zheng Zhang
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- cytomegalovirus
- latency
- reactivation
- transplantation
- virus-host interaction
- immune evasion
- host immune response
- omics approaches
- high-throughput technologies
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