Clinical consequences of herpes simplex virus DNA in donor corneas: Different prognosis and management of endothelial keratoplasty and deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty

Quality assurance in corneal transplants: Donor cornea assessment and oversight

The cornea is the most frequently transplanted human tissue, and corneal transplantation represents the most successful allogeneic transplant worldwide. In order to obtain good surgical outcome and visual rehabilitation and to ensure the safety of the recipient, accurate screening of donors and donor tissues is necessary throughout the process. This mitigates the risks of transmission to the recipient, including infectious diseases and environmental contaminants, and ensures high optical and functional quality of the tissues. The process can be divided into 3 stages: (1) donor evaluation and selection before tissue harvest performed by the retrieval team, (2) tissue analysis during the storage phase conducted by the eye bank technicians after the retrieval, and, (3) tissue quality checks undertaken by the surgeons in the operating room before transplantation. Although process improvements over the years have greatly enhanced safety, quality, and outcome of the corneal transplants, a lack of standardization between centers during certain phases of the process still remains, and may impact on the quality and number of transplanted corneas. Here we detail the donor screening process for the retrieval teams, eye bank operators. and ophthalmic surgeons and examine the limitations associated with each of these stages.

Herpes simplex virus dissemination with necrotizing hepatitis following Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty

BACKGROUND

Corneal transplants are the most common type of transplant and increasing in frequency. Donor cornea tissues are a rare source of herpes simplex virus (HSV) transmission and not routinely tested for presence of HSV. Donor graft-to-recipient transmission typically causes graft failure and anterior uveitis, and extra-ocular HSV disease has not been previously reported. We present a case of HSV transmission from donor cornea tissue that nearly cost the corneal transplant recipient his life.

CASE REPORT

An elderly immunocompetent man developed an acute illness 10 days after having donor corneal tissue implanted in a Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK). He was found to have HSV necrotizing hepatitis per liver biopsy, trilineage cytopenia, rhabdomyolysis, acute kidney failure, altered mental status, early-stage hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), and donor corneal tissue implant infection resulting in graft failure and anterior uveitis. HSV DNA was detected in cerebral spinal fluid, peripheral blood, explanted donor corneal tissue, and anterior chamber fluid (220 million HSV DNA copies per mL). HSV-1 seroconversion denoted a primary HSV infection, and the patient had no other risk factor for HSV acquisition. Early recognition of HSV dissemination prompting treatment with intravenous acyclovir, as well as a short course of HLH-directed therapy, resolved the systemic illness. Vision was restored to near normal by replacement of the infected corneal graft with new donor DMEK tissue in conjunction with intravitreal foscarnet treatment.

CONCLUSION

Awareness of the potential risk of donor cornea tissue transmitting HSV and leading to life-threatening HSV disease is paramount to early diagnosis and treatment. The role of donor cornea tissue in HSV transmission and disease merits additional attention and investigation.

The incidence and influence of the donor corneas positive for herpesviridae DNA in keratoplasty

Purpose

We detected the DNA of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), varicella-zoster virus (VZV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in donor corneas and assessed the clinical outcomes of recipients who received virus-positive grafts.

Method

All donor corneas were analyzed for the presence of HSV-1, HSV-2, VZV, CMV, and EBV by real-time PCR from April 2017 to July 2019. The medical records of the transplant patients who received virus-positive grafts were reviewed.

Result

Twenty-three (2.44%) donor cornea buttons tested positive for herpesviridae DNA. The positivity rates of HSV-1, CMV, VZV, and EBV were 0.74%, 0.85%, 0.64%, and 0.21%, respectively.

Conclusion

We suggest that the corneas from donors who had cancer, donors who were inpatients, and donors who had immunodeficiency or who were on immunosuppressive therapy should be tested for herpesviridae DNA before transplantation. Finally, HSV-1 can be transmitted from graft to recipient, but that CMV cannot be transmitted according to our observations. The donor corneas found to be HSV-1-positive have to be discarded and not used for keratoplasty.

Loss of endothelial cells in viral DNA-positive grafts after keratoplasty: a 2-year follow-up study

BACKGROUND

To compare endothelial loss between recipients who received viral DNA-positive grafts and controls 2 years after corneal transplantation.

METHODS

We retrospectively analysed the clinical data and endothelial cell density of recipients of viral DNA-positive grafts and age-, sex-, aetiology- and operation-matched controls from April 2017 to July 2019 at the Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China.

RESULTS

A total of 23/942 (2.44%) donor corneal buttons tested virus-positive by real-time PCR. A total of 27 recipients (except for 2 recipients) of viral DNA-positive grafts and 48 recipients of viral DNA-negative grafts were included in this study. Recipients of viral DNA-positive grafts had a higher endothelial cell (EC) loss rate post-penetrating keratoplasty and post-descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (p<0.05), but post-deep lamellar keratoplasty, the EC loss rate was similar to that of the controls. Recipients of herpes simplex virus-1-, cytomegalovirus- and varicella-zoster virus-positive grafts all had a higher EC loss rate than the controls during the 12- and 24-month follow-up periods (p<0.05).

CONCLUSION

We inferred that viruses might be hidden in corneal grafts and mainly incubate in the corneal endothelium. Viral DNA-positive grafts do not need to be replaced immediately and can be followed up for a long time.