Final answer:
The most common cause of infection in transplant recipients is cytomegalovirus (CMV), often due to immunosuppression required to prevent organ rejection. This can lead to serious health issues, with CMV contamination being one primary source from the transplanted tissues or reactivation of previous infections. Other complications such as graft-versus-host disease and infections from weakened immune responses are also significant risks post-transplantation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The most common cause of infection in transplant recipients is cytomegalovirus (CMV). Infections in transplant patients, including those who have received kidney transplants, are largely due to CMV which affects approximately 60% of recipients, with over 20% developing symptomatic disease. These infections can either be from CMV-contaminated tissues during the transplant process or due to the reactivation of prior CMV infections because of immunosuppression necessary to prevent graft rejection. This can lead to severe consequences such as viremia, liver damage, rejection of the transplant, and in some cases, death.
Other critical issues include genetic differences in the MHC (HLA) genes between donor and recipient which can influence the rejection risk, and complications like graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), especially notable in bone marrow transplants. In GVHD, donor immune cells attack recipient tissues, which can have varying symptoms like skin rashes and liver damage, depending on the severity of the immune response.
Transplant recipients are often on immunosuppressive therapy to mitigate the rejection response. However, this makes them more susceptible to infections due to the weakened immune defense against pathogens that may be introduced through various means, such as surgery or bloodstream infections.