Trial Information

Season Surveillance Study of Viral Infections in Lung Transplant Recipients

Informed consent was obtained from the LTx recipients and the study was approved of by the
institutional review board of Hannover medical school.

LTx recipients are screened for CARV infections during the cold season (end October until
end April) in a single-centre outpatient clinic. Symptoms of upper (URTI) and lower
respiratory tract infections (URTI) are recorded by questionnaires and findings.

Nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs (NOS) were performed to detect RV-antigens by
immunofluorescence testing (IFT) of respiratory-syncytial virus (RSV), adenovirus,
parainfluenza (PIV), influenza and cultures for CARV are performed. BAL was performed when
clinically indicated and processed by IFT. Multiplex-PCR to detect 14 CARV are processed
in symptomatic patients.

In addition blood samples are monitored at each contact to investigate an association of
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), cytomegalovirus (CMV) and human adenovirus (HAdV) with the
development of BOS and to identify risk factors for virus detection in blood.