Pre-transplant shedding of BK virus in urine is unrelated to post-transplant viruria and viremia in kidney transplant recipients

• Published in: Clinical transplantation Vol. 30; no. 7; pp. 796 - 801
• Main Authors: Bicalho, C. S., Oliveira, R. R., Pierrotti, L. C., Fink, M. C. D. S., Urbano, P. R. P., Nali, L. H. S., Luna, E. J. A., Romano, C. M., David, D. R., David-Neto, E., Pannuti, C. S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Denmark Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01-07-2016
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; BK virus; BK Virus - genetics; BKV real-time PCR; BKV replication; Brazil - epidemiology; DNA, Viral - biosynthesis; DNA, Viral - urine; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Graft Survival; Humans; Incidence; kidney transplant recipients; Kidney Transplantation - adverse effects; Male; Middle Aged; Polyomavirus Infections - epidemiology; Polyomavirus Infections - metabolism; Polyomavirus Infections - virology; Prospective Studies; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; risk factor; Risk Factors; Transplant Recipients; Tumor Virus Infections - epidemiology; Tumor Virus Infections - metabolism; Tumor Virus Infections - virology; Urinalysis; viremia; Viremia - epidemiology; Viremia - metabolism; Viremia - virology; viruria; Virus Shedding; Young Adult; BKV replication; kidney transplant recipients; risk factor; viremia; viruria; BKV real-time PCR
• ISSN: 0902-0063; 1399-0012
• DOI: 10.1111/ctr.12752

BK virus‐(BKV) associated nephropathy (BKVN) is a major cause of allograft injury in kidney transplant recipients. In such patients, subclinical reactivation of latent BKV infection can occur in the pre‐transplant period. The purpose of this study was to determine whether urinary BKV shedding in the immediate pre‐transplant period is associated with a higher incidence of viruria and viremia during the first year after kidney transplantation. We examined urine samples from 34 kidney transplant recipients, using real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction to detect BKV. Urine samples were obtained in the immediate pre‐transplant period and during the first year after transplant on a monthly basis. If BKV viruria was detected, blood samples were collected and screened for BKV viremia. In the immediate pre‐transplant period, we detected BKV viruria in 11 (32.3%) of the 34 recipients. During the first year after transplantation, we detected BKV viruria in all 34 patients and viremia in eight (23.5%). We found no correlation between pre‐transplant viruria and post‐transplant viruria or viremia (p = 0.2). Although reactivation of latent BKV infection in the pre‐transplant period is fairly common among kidney transplant recipients, it is not a risk factor for post‐transplant BKV viruria or viremia.