Abstract:

Infections remain a leading cause of morbidity, mortality, and allograft dysfunction in kidney transplant recipients, with immunosuppressive management continuing to shape susceptibility to both traditional and emerging pathogens. Increasing clinical complexity, including shifts in viral epidemiology, the global emergence of SARS-CoV-2, and a growing emphasis on individualized immunosuppression, has accelerated research activity in this domain. To contextualize these developments, this bibliometric study systematically mapped global research on infection management and immunosuppressive strategies in kidney transplantation over the past 15 years. A total of 2568 English-language publications indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC) were analyzed using CiteSpace 6.3.R1, VOSviewer 1.6.11, and the bibliometrix package to assess publication trajectories, geographic and institutional contributions, collaboration networks, and thematic evolution. Research output increased steadily and spanned 98 countries, with the United States producing the highest number of publications (1019 articles), followed by Germany, France, China, and Italy. Institutional and author collaboration networks demonstrated durable, long-standing partnerships. Keyword co-occurrence analysis identified 100 high-frequency terms clustered into six thematic groups, while temporal mapping revealed a shift from earlier focus areas, such as BK polyomavirus (BKPyV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), and immunosuppressive toxicity, toward more recent interests in immune monitoring, biomarker discovery, individualized immunosuppression, and COVID-19–related complications. Collectively, these findings delineated the evolving global research landscape and underscored the need for strengthened cross-regional collaboration, expanded real-world evidence, and precision immunomodulation guided by virologic and immunologic profiling.

Key words: Kidney transplantation, Infection management, Immunosuppressive therapy, BK polyomavirus, Cytomegalovirus