Human cytomegalovirus resistance to antiviral drugs: diagnosis, monitoring and clinical impact

The incidence of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) disease in AIDS patients decreased dramatically after the introduction, a few years ago, of highly active antiretroviral combination therapy. As a consequence, the emergence of drug-resistant HCMV strains is no longer a major problem in HIV-infected individuals. However, HCMV resistance to antiviral drugs is presently recognized as an emerging problem in transplantation settings. The mechanisms of HCMV drug resistance will be analysed along with the clinical features relevant to the emergence of drug-resistant HCMV strains during antiviral treatment of patients receiving either solid organ or haematopoietic stem cell transplantation.