Donor-Derived CD4+ T Cells and Human Herpesvirus 6B Detection After Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation

• Published in: The Journal of infectious diseases 2021-02, Vol.223 (4), p.709-713
• Main Authors: Hanson, Derek J, Xie, Hu, Zerr, Danielle M, Leisenring, Wendy M, Jerome, Keith R, Huang, Meei-Li, Stevens-Ayers, Terry, Boeckh, Michael, Koelle, David M, Hill, Joshua A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: CD4 antigen; Histocompatibility antigen HLA; Leukocytes (mononuclear); Lymphocytes; Lymphocytes T; Major and Brief Reports; Peripheral blood mononuclear cells; Polymerase chain reaction; Stem cell transplantation; Transplantation
• ISSN: 0022-1899; 1537-6613
• DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiaa422

Abstract We sought to determine whether donor-derived human herpesvirus (HHV) 6B–specific CD4+ T-cell abundance is correlated with HHV-6B detection after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation. We identified 33 patients who received HLA-matched, non–T-cell–depleted, myeloablative allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation and underwent weekly plasma polymerase chain reaction testing for HHV-6B for 100 days thereafter. We tested donor peripheral blood mononuclear cells for HHV-6B–specific CD4+ T cells. Patients with HHV-6B detection above the median peak viral load (200 copies/mL) received approximately 10-fold fewer donor-derived total or HHV-6B–specific CD4+ T cells than those with peak HHV-6B detection at ≤200 copies/mL or with no HHV-6B detection. These data suggest the importance of donor-derived immunity for controlling HHV-6B reactivation. We demonstrated that a higher number of donor-derived total and human herpesvirus (HHV) 6B–specific CD4+ T cells may reduce the risk for higher-level HHV-6B detection after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation.