Background : Cytomegalovirus infection in renal transplant recipients is a major clinical problem that may cause significant morbidity and mortality. Infection can occur as a result of reactivation of latent virus or new infection from donor tissues.Objectives: To assess the incidence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) reactivation, and to determine the predictive factors for CMV reactivation in renal-transplant patients also to compare CMV-DNA amplification using qRT-PCR with serologic assays of CMV-IgM antibodies to detect CMV reactivation.Study design: Sixty patients were included in this study. They were classified into 3 groups based on the post transplantation period during which the study was performed. ELISA was used to detect the pre-transplantation CMV serostatus for the donor and the recipient as well as the recipient post transplantation CMV serology. CMV DNAemia was assessed by qRT-PCR first on whole blood (WB). Whenever a positive result was obtained; the assay was then performed on plasma to detect the difference between them.Results: CMV reactivation occurred in two patients following the treatment of their rejection episode and was detected by qRT-PCR using whole blood and not in plasma.Conclusion: Cytomegalovirus reactivation was not high in the studied patients, which may be due to the presence of pre -existing immunity in the form of neutralizing antibody, and that treatment of an episode of acute allograft rejection was the most important risk for CMV reactivation within the first year post-transplantation. qRT-PCR is an important tool in predicting subsequent or ongoing disease, while detection of anti CMV-IgM antibodies is not sensitive enough for diagnosis