Emerging Transplant Infections: Clinical Challenges and Implications

The field of transplant medicine has evolved significantly since the first kidney transplant was performed in 1954. Innovations in transplant immunosuppression have lowered the risk of organ rejection so that infectious complications are now the leading cause of hospitalization and mortality after solid organ transplant. Infection is also cited as the leading cause of non-relapse mortality after stem cell transplantation. As transplant centers have recognized the importance of transplant specific expertise in patient outcomes, the field of transplant infectious diseases has expanded into a recognized and highly valued subspecialty. International growth in solid organ and stem cell transplantation has outpaced access to such expertise, with some centers employing microbiology laboratory directors and transplant nephrologists as their lead infectious diseases consultants. This has been a particular challenge as the use of novel immunosuppressive regimens in new geographic and immigrant populations have fueled the emergence of new infection syndromes, with the initial presentation sometimes occurring in this most vulnerable patient population.