BACKGROUND: Virus co-infection or reactivation may modify the host response during cerebral malaria. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) DNAemia has been associated with increased morbidity and mortality in adults with sepsis
however, the impact of CMV DNAemia on adverse outcomes in children with cerebral malaria is unknown. METHODS: Clinical, physiological, and neurocognitive outcomes were compared in children aged 18 months to 12 years with cerebral malaria (N = 242) based on the presence or absence of CMV DNAemia 24 h after admission. The primary study outcome was subsequent in-hospital mortality. Secondary outcomes included the presence of acute kidney injury, neurocognitive impairment over a 2-year follow-up, and chronic kidney disease at the 1-year follow-up. Markers of platelet and endothelial cell activation and oxidative and nitrosative stress were measured to characterize the mechanisms by which CMV DNAemia might contribute to pathogenesis. RESULTS: CMV DNAemia was present in 33 children with cerebral malaria (13.6%) 24 h after admission. CMV DNAemia was not significantly associated with mortality in this study. Children with CMV-DNAemia had a higher prevalence of acute kidney injury than those without CMV-DNAemia (59.4% vs. 38.6%, p = 0.03). There was no difference in the prevalence of chronic kidney disease or long-term neurocognitive impairment based on the presence of DNAemia. CMV DNAemia was associated with elevated plasma levels of P-selectin, angiopoietin-1, asymmetric dimethylarginine, and platelet counts. CONCLUSIONS: In children with cerebral malaria, CMV DNAemia is associated with acute kidney injury but not in-hospital mortality, chronic kidney disease, or long-term neurocognitive impairment.