Transplant infectious disease: a moving target

Posttransplant Pneumonia Among Solid Organ Transplant Recipients Followed in Intensive Care Unit

OBJECTIVES

Pneumonia is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in solid-organ transplant recipients. We studied the demographic characteristics, respiratory management, and outcomes of solid-organ transplant recipients with pneumonia in an intensive care unit.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

There have been 2857 kidney, 687 liver, and 142 heart transplants performed between October 16, 1985, and February 28, 2021, at our center. We retrospectively analyzed records for 51 of 193 recipients with pneumonia during the posttransplant period between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2018.

RESULTS

Fifty-one of 193 recipients were followed in the intensive care unit. Mean age was 45.4 ± 16.6 years among 42 male (82.4%) and 9 female (17.6%) recipients. Twenty-six patients (51%) underwent kidney transplant, 14 (27.5%) liver transplant, 7 (13.7%) heart transplant, and 4 (7.8%) combined kidney and liver transplant. Most pneumonia episodes occurred 6 months after transplant (70.6%) with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure. Mean Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation System II score was 18.9 ± 7.7, and the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score was 8.5 ± 3.9 at intensive care unit admission. Whereas 66.7% of pneumonia cases were nosocomial acquired, 33.3% were community acquired. The intensive care unit and 28-day mortality rates were 39.2% and 64.7%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Solid-organ transplant recipients with pneumonia have been associated with poor prognosis. Our cohort followed in the intensive care unit comprised mostly patients with nosocomial pneumonia with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure, hospitalized 6 months after transplant with high Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation System II scores predictive of mortality. In this high-risk patient group, careful follow-up, early discovery of warning signs, and rapid treatment initiation could improve the outcomes in the intensive care unit.

Humoral response to a 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in kidney transplant recipients

BACKGROUND

Vaccination against S. pneumoniae is recommended by national guidelines. Moderate immunogenicity of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) has been reported in adult kidney transplant recipients (KTR). This study further defines the immunogenicity of PCV13 in this cohort.

METHODS

49 KTR were immunized with PCV13. A validated opsonophagocytic killing assay (OPA), a global anti-pneumococcal capsular polysaccharide (anti-PCP) IgG, IgG2, IgM and IgA ELISA, and - for selected patients - a serotype specific anti-PCP WHO reference ELISA were performed pre-vaccination and at month 1 and 12 post-vaccination.

RESULTS

Geometric mean OPA titers increased significantly for 13/13 serotypes at month 1 and for 10/13 serotypes at month 12 post-vaccination. Vaccine response defined as an OPA titer ≥1:8 was reached in 9/13 serotypes (median). 53% reached the vaccine response criteria at month 1 and 45% at month 12. At month 1 after vaccination, the median OPA titer in an age-group matched healthy reference population was 5- to 10-fold higher than in KTR. OPA titers correlated strongly with results to the global and serotype specific anti-PCP IgG ELISA. Lower OPA titers significantly (p < 0.05) correlated with albuminuria, an interval between vaccination and transplantation <12 months, age and treatment with mycophenolate mofetil. Global IgG, IgG2, IgM and IgA, as well as serotype specific anti-PCP antibody concentrations (12/13 serotypes) increased significantly at month 1 and 12 post-vaccination.

CONCLUSIONS

Kidney transplant recipients show a significant humoral response after vaccination with PCV13. Functional antibody response exists, but is not as vigorous as in healthy adults.

Community-Acquired Respiratory Viruses in Transplant Patients: Diversity, Impact, Unmet Clinical Needs

Patients undergoing solid-organ transplantation (SOT) or allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) are at increased risk for infectious complications. Community-acquired respiratory viruses (CARVs) pose a particular challenge due to the frequent exposure pre-, peri-, and posttransplantation. Although influenza A and B viruses have a top priority regarding prevention and treatment, recent molecular diagnostic tests detecting an array of other CARVs in real time have dramatically expanded our knowledge about the epidemiology, diversity, and impact of CARV infections in the general population and in allogeneic HCT and SOT patients. These data have demonstrated that non-influenza CARVs independently contribute to morbidity and mortality of transplant patients. However, effective vaccination and antiviral treatment is only emerging for non-influenza CARVs, placing emphasis on infection control and supportive measures. Here, we review the current knowledge about CARVs in SOT and allogeneic HCT patients to better define the magnitude of this unmet clinical need and to discuss some of the lessons learned from human influenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus, parainfluenzavirus, rhinovirus, coronavirus, adenovirus, and bocavirus regarding diagnosis, prevention, and treatment.

Rising Need for Health Education Among Renal Transplant Patients and Caregiving Competence in Care Providers

Background:

Health education positively affects the efficacy of self-management and should be carried out according to the status of patients’ needs, knowledge, and the competence of the primary caregivers.

Objectives:

This study was to investigate the needs of health education knowledge in transplant patients and the competence of the primary caregivers.

Methods:

This is a cross-sectional study using a convenient sampling approach. Self-report questionnaires were applied to 351 renal transplantation patients and their primary caregivers.

Results:

Three-hundred nine valid questionnaires were included in the analysis. The intensive care unit environment, stress coping strategies, the operation procedure, anesthesia and adverse reactions, and hand hygiene were the 5 most poorly understood aspects in health education. Stress coping strategies, at-home self-monitoring of health, pulmonary infection prevention, dietary needs, and anesthesia and other adverse reactions were the top 5 health education needs. Decision and self-efficacy were the weakest caregiving competence. Significant positive correlations were observed between health education knowledge level and caregiving competence in the primary caregivers. Marriage, education level, career, expense reimbursement, and residence significantly contributed to the health education demand questionnaire model, whereas gender, age, ethnic group, education level, career, and expense reimbursement significantly contributed to health education knowledge questionnaire model ( P < .05).

Conclusion:

The renal transplant patients and their primary caregivers need health education on the intensive care unit environment, stress coping strategies, the operation procedure, and anesthesia and other adverse reactions. The primary caregivers need training in decision-making and self-efficacy.