The most important risk factor for the development of posttransplant
lymphoproliferative disorders (PTLD) is Epstein-Barr virus (
EBV) infection after transplant. It increases in seronegative EBV recipients from 23% to 50%. The aim of the study was to assess the serologic status of
EBV infections (before lung transplant) and the expression of the virus itself after lung transplant in a 25-year-old patient with
cystic fibrosis. In a 25-year-old patient with
cystic fibrosis, immediately before lung transplant, all diagnostically significant
antibodies related to
EBV infection were determined in blood serum using
enzyme-linked
immunosorbent assay methods, using tests by Euroimmun and PerkinElmer Company. Additionally, the organ donor's serologic profile was assessed with the same tests. After lung transplant, the risk of
EBV infection was monitored in whole blood and virus expression was determined by
reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction with Biomerieux Argene tests. Before lung transplant, the patient was shown to have no
antibodies against EBV in both
IgM and
IgG classes. The constellation of organ donor
antibodies clearly indicated a past
infection. The presence of EBV virus copies in whole blood was demonstrated in the patient 9 months after transplant. Constant monitoring of the patient and modification of the treatment did not, unfortunately, protect him from the development of PTLD. The obtained results clearly confirm the purposefulness of both serologic and molecular determinations in lung recipients related to EBV. The likelihood of developing PTLD increases both in people who have not had
EBV infection and patients with reactivation of the
infection.