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‹ Thu · 30 Apr 2026
Near-term implementable finding

Distribution characteristics and influencing factors of active cytomegalovirus infection in patients with hematological malignancies complicated with sepsis

Simple low white-blood-cell counts help identify life-threatening viral infections early in blood-cancer patients, enabling faster intervention.

This retrospective study of 119 hematological malignancy patients with sepsis found a high early active CMV infection rate (34.45%), with decreased WBC count serving as the most useful early screening indicator (AUC=0.746), a finding that is immediately actionable as WBC is universally available. The significant association with 28-day mortality emphasizes the need for early CMV monitoring in this high-risk immunocompromised population.

What the study was

Study design
Single-center retrospective cohort study
Population
Patients with hematological malignancies complicated by sepsis (Ningbo, China, June 2022-June 2025)
Sample size
119
Category
Diagnostics
Maturity
Exploratory
Journal
European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases

Why it surfaced

WBC as early CMV screening biomarker is immediately implementable; high incidence (34.45%) in hematologic malignancy + sepsis is clinically important; single-center retrospective limits confidence.

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