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Iwahara N, Hotta K, Hirose T, Okada H, Shinohara N. Protocol biopsy of kidney allograft enables early detection of BK virus nephropathy to preserve kidney allograft function. Transpl Infect Dis 2024:e14338. [PMID: 38980934 DOI: 10.1111/tid.14338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2024] [Revised: 06/24/2024] [Accepted: 06/26/2024] [Indexed: 07/11/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Banff Working Group has updated the histological classification of BK virus nephropathy (BKVN), highlighting the importance of early detection. However, an early detection strategy for BKVN using biopsy has not yet been established. Our investigation aimed to assess the efficacy of protocol biopsy for the diagnosis of BKVN. METHODS We performed a retrospective cohort study of 314 patients who had undergone kidney transplantation between 2006 and 2021. Kidney allograft biopsies were performed as part of a protocol biopsy at 3 months and 1 year post-transplantation. Following the diagnosis of BKVN, the immunosuppressant dose was reduced. RESULTS Twelve patients (3.8%) were diagnosed with BKVN by biopsy. Most diagnoses are established during the early stages of BKVN (polyomavirus nephropathy class 1 in six, class 2 in five, and class 3 in one). Following the reduction in immunosuppressant dose, kidney allograft function did not deteriorate in any patients. Additionally, test for BK virus DNA in the blood was negative. All but one patient demonstrated histological resolution of BKVN, and the other had a very slight positivity for the simian virus 40 large T antigen. The median follow-up time after BKVN diagnosis was 6 years. One patient developed de novo donor-specific antibody and subclinical acute antibody-mediated rejection that was successfully cured. CONCLUSIONS Our analysis indicates that protocol biopsy may enable the early detection of BKVN, resulting in the preservation of kidney function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naoya Iwahara
- Department of Urology, Hokkaido University Hospital, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Kiyohiko Hotta
- Department of Urology, Hokkaido University Hospital, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Takayuki Hirose
- Department of Urology, Hokkaido University Hospital, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Hiromi Okada
- Department of Surgical Pathology, Hokkaido University Hospital, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Nobuo Shinohara
- Department of Urology, Hokkaido University Hospital, Sapporo, Japan
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Nast CC. Polyomavirus nephropathy: diagnosis, histologic features, and differentiation from acute rejection. CLINICAL TRANSPLANTATION AND RESEARCH 2024; 38:71-89. [PMID: 38725187 PMCID: PMC11228385 DOI: 10.4285/ctr.24.0006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2024] [Revised: 02/28/2024] [Accepted: 03/20/2024] [Indexed: 06/29/2024]
Abstract
Polyomaviruses, particularly BK virus, are ubiquitous latent infections that may reactivate with immunosuppression during kidney transplantation, resulting in polyomavirus nephropathy (PVN). The levels of viruria and viremia serve as tools for screening and making a presumptive diagnosis of PVN, respectively, while a definitive diagnosis requires a kidney biopsy. There are histologic classifications of PVN based on the extent of tubular cell viral infection, interstitial fibrosis, and interstitial inflammation. These classifications correlate to some degree with graft function and loss, aiding in determining treatment efficacy and prognostication. PVN has histologic overlap with acute cell-mediated rejection, making the differential diagnosis challenging, although there are suggestive features for these different causes of graft dysfunction. This article reviews the diagnosis, histologic findings, and classifications of PVN, and discusses how to differentiate viral nephropathy from acute rejection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cynthia C Nast
- Department of Pathology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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3
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Kotton CN, Kamar N, Wojciechowski D, Eder M, Hopfer H, Randhawa P, Sester M, Comoli P, Tedesco Silva H, Knoll G, Brennan DC, Trofe-Clark J, Pape L, Axelrod D, Kiberd B, Wong G, Hirsch HH. The Second International Consensus Guidelines on the Management of BK Polyomavirus in Kidney Transplantation. Transplantation 2024:00007890-990000000-00727. [PMID: 38605438 DOI: 10.1097/tp.0000000000004976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/13/2024]
Abstract
BK polyomavirus (BKPyV) remains a significant challenge after kidney transplantation. International experts reviewed current evidence and updated recommendations according to Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations (GRADE). Risk factors for BKPyV-DNAemia and biopsy-proven BKPyV-nephropathy include recipient older age, male sex, donor BKPyV-viruria, BKPyV-seropositive donor/-seronegative recipient, tacrolimus, acute rejection, and higher steroid exposure. To facilitate early intervention with limited allograft damage, all kidney transplant recipients should be screened monthly for plasma BKPyV-DNAemia loads until month 9, then every 3 mo until 2 y posttransplant (3 y for children). In resource-limited settings, urine cytology screening at similar time points can exclude BKPyV-nephropathy, and testing for plasma BKPyV-DNAemia when decoy cells are detectable. For patients with BKPyV-DNAemia loads persisting >1000 copies/mL, or exceeding 10 000 copies/mL (or equivalent), or with biopsy-proven BKPyV-nephropathy, immunosuppression should be reduced according to predefined steps targeting antiproliferative drugs, calcineurin inhibitors, or both. In adults without graft dysfunction, kidney allograft biopsy is not required unless the immunological risk is high. For children with persisting BKPyV-DNAemia, allograft biopsy may be considered even without graft dysfunction. Allograft biopsies should be interpreted in the context of all clinical and laboratory findings, including plasma BKPyV-DNAemia. Immunohistochemistry is preferred for diagnosing biopsy-proven BKPyV-nephropathy. Routine screening using the proposed strategies is cost-effective, improves clinical outcomes and quality of life. Kidney retransplantation subsequent to BKPyV-nephropathy is feasible in otherwise eligible recipients if BKPyV-DNAemia is undetectable; routine graft nephrectomy is not recommended. Current studies do not support the usage of leflunomide, cidofovir, quinolones, or IVIGs. Patients considered for experimental treatments (antivirals, vaccines, neutralizing antibodies, and adoptive T cells) should be enrolled in clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camille N Kotton
- Transplant and Immunocompromised Host Infectious Diseases Unit, Infectious Diseases Division, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Nassim Kamar
- Department of Nephrology and Organ Transplantation, Toulouse Rangueil University Hospital, INSERM UMR 1291, Toulouse Institute for Infectious and Inflammatory Diseases (Infinity), University Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
| | - David Wojciechowski
- Department of Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
| | - Michael Eder
- Division of Nephrology and Dialysis, Department of Medicine III, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Helmut Hopfer
- Division of Medical Genetics and Pathology, University Hospital Basel, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Parmjeet Randhawa
- Division of Transplantation Pathology, The Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Martina Sester
- Department of Transplant and Infection Immunology, Saarland University, Homburg, Germany
| | - Patrizia Comoli
- Cell Factory and Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Unit, Department of Mother and Child Health, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy
| | - Helio Tedesco Silva
- Division of Nephrology, Hospital do Rim, Fundação Oswaldo Ramos, Paulista School of Medicine, Federal University of São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Greg Knoll
- Department of Medicine (Nephrology), University of Ottawa and The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | | | - Jennifer Trofe-Clark
- Renal-Electrolyte Hypertension Division, Associated Faculty of the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, PA
- Transplantation Division, Associated Faculty of the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, PA
| | - Lars Pape
- Pediatrics II, University Hospital of Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - David Axelrod
- Kidney, Pancreas, and Living Donor Transplant Programs at University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
| | - Bryce Kiberd
- Division of Nephrology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Germaine Wong
- Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Centre for Kidney Research, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Centre for Transplant and Renal Research, Westmead Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Hans H Hirsch
- Division of Transplantation and Clinical Virology, Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
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Junyangdikul T, Tantranont N, Chaiyapak T, Vongwiwatana A, Cheunsuchon B. Clinicopathological Correlation of Polyomavirus Nephropathy in Renal Allograft Recipients According to the Banff 2018 Classification. Cureus 2023; 15:e50910. [PMID: 38249254 PMCID: PMC10799693 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.50910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Polyomavirus nephropathy (PVN) is a rare kidney disease caused by the BK virus, a strain of polyomavirus. The disease primarily affects transplant recipients, which is related to intensive immunosuppression protocol and can lead to kidney allograft failure. OBJECTIVES The objective of this study is to analyze histopathological features of PVN using the Banff 2018 PVN classification and to determine clinical features and outcomes of patients with PVN in each histologic class. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study included 44 patients who had been diagnosed with PVN by renal allograft biopsy in a large tertiary care hospital in Thailand from January 2011 to January 2020. The kidney biopsy slides were reviewed for Banff 2018 PVN classification and other histologic features. Patient demographic information, clinical data, and laboratory results were retrospectively collected. RESULTS Nine (20.45%), 27 (61.36%), and eight (18.18%) cases of PVN were Class I, Class II, and Class III, respectively. The time from transplant to PVN diagnosis for Classes I, II, and III was four, 19, and 33.5 months, respectively. Class III had the worst clinical outcomes in terms of deterioration of allograft function, the lowest rate of resolution, and the highest rate of graft failure. CONCLUSIONS PVN classification provides prognostic information in renal allograft biopsy. Our study confirmed the validity of the three-tier histologic PVN classification put forward by the Banff Working Group in 2018.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamkan Junyangdikul
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, THA
| | - Ngoentra Tantranont
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, THA
| | - Thanaporn Chaiyapak
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, THA
| | - Attapong Vongwiwatana
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, THA
| | - Boonyarit Cheunsuchon
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, THA
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Cleenders E, Koshy P, Van Loon E, Lagrou K, Beuselinck K, Andrei G, Crespo M, De Vusser K, Kuypers D, Lerut E, Mertens K, Mineeva-Sangwo O, Randhawa P, Senev A, Snoeck R, Sprangers B, Tinel C, Van Craenenbroeck A, van den Brand J, Van Ranst M, Verbeke G, Coemans M, Naesens M. An observational cohort study of histological screening for BK polyomavirus nephropathy following viral replication in plasma. Kidney Int 2023; 104:1018-1034. [PMID: 37598855 DOI: 10.1016/j.kint.2023.07.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2022] [Revised: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023]
Abstract
Systematic screening for BKPyV-DNAemia has been advocated to aid prevention and treatment of polyomavirus associated nephropathy (PyVAN), an important cause of kidney graft failure. The added value of performing a biopsy at time of BKPyV-DNAemia, to distinguish presumptive PyVAN (negative SV40 immunohistochemistry) and proven PyVAN (positive SV40) has not been established. Therefore, we studied an unselected cohort of 950 transplantations, performed between 2008-2017. BKPyV-DNAemia was detected in 250 (26.3%) transplant recipients, and positive SV40 in 91 cases (9.6%). Among 209 patients with a concurrent biopsy at time of first BKPyV-DNAemia, 60 (28.7%) biopsies were SV40 positive. Plasma viral load showed high diagnostic value for concurrent SV40 positivity (ROC-AUC 0.950, 95% confidence interval 0.916-0.978) and the semiquantitatively scored percentage of tubules with evidence of polyomavirus replication (pvl score) (0.979, 0.968-0.988). SV40 positivity was highly unlikely when plasma viral load is below 4 log10 copies/ml (negative predictive value 0.989, 0.979-0.994). In SV40 positive patients, higher plasma BKPyV-DNA load and higher pvl scores were associated with slower viral clearance from the blood (hazard ratio 0.712, 95% confidence interval 0.604-0.839, and 0.327, 0.161-0.668, respectively), whereas the dichotomy positivity/negativity of SV40 immunohistochemistry did not predict viral clearance. Although the pvl score offers some prognostic value for viral clearance on top of plasma viral load, the latter provided good guidance for when a biopsy was unnecessary to exclude PyVAN. Thus, the distinction between presumptive and proven PyVAN, based on SV40 immunohistochemistry, has limited clinical value. Hence, management of BKPyV-DNAemia and immunosuppression reduction should be weighed against the risk of occurrence of rejection, or exacerbation of rejection observed concomitantly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evert Cleenders
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Nephrology and Renal Transplantation Research Group, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Leuven Biostatistics and Statistical Bioinformatics Centre, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Priyanka Koshy
- Department of Imaging and Pathology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Elisabet Van Loon
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Nephrology and Renal Transplantation Research Group, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Nephrology and Renal Transplantation, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Katrien Lagrou
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Laboratory of Clinical Microbiology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Kurt Beuselinck
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Laboratory of Clinical Microbiology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Laboratory Medicine, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Graciela Andrei
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute, Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Marta Crespo
- Department of Nephrology, Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Katrien De Vusser
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Nephrology and Renal Transplantation Research Group, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Nephrology and Renal Transplantation, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Dirk Kuypers
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Nephrology and Renal Transplantation Research Group, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Nephrology and Renal Transplantation, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Evelyne Lerut
- Department of Imaging and Pathology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Kris Mertens
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Nephrology and Renal Transplantation Research Group, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Olga Mineeva-Sangwo
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute, Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Parmjeet Randhawa
- Division of Transplantation Pathology, the Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center-Montefiore Hospital, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Aleksandar Senev
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Nephrology and Renal Transplantation Research Group, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics Laboratory, Belgian Red Cross-Flanders, Mechelen, Belgium
| | - Robert Snoeck
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute, Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Ben Sprangers
- Department of Nephrology and Renal Transplantation, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute, Laboratory of Molecular Immunology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Claire Tinel
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Nephrology and Renal Transplantation Research Group, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Amaryllis Van Craenenbroeck
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Nephrology and Renal Transplantation Research Group, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Nephrology and Renal Transplantation, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jan van den Brand
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Nephrology and Renal Transplantation Research Group, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Marc Van Ranst
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute, Laboratory of Clinical and Epidemiological Virology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Geert Verbeke
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Leuven Biostatistics and Statistical Bioinformatics Centre, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Maarten Coemans
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Nephrology and Renal Transplantation Research Group, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Leuven Biostatistics and Statistical Bioinformatics Centre, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Maarten Naesens
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Nephrology and Renal Transplantation Research Group, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Nephrology and Renal Transplantation, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
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Özdemir BH, Ok Atılgan A, Akyüz Özdemir A, Akçay E, Haberal M. Importance of Follow-Up Biopsies in the Prediction of Renal Allograft Survival Following Polyomavirus-Associated Nephropathy. EXP CLIN TRANSPLANT 2023; 21:568-577. [PMID: 37584537 DOI: 10.6002/ect.2023.0080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/17/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Allograft biopsy is the gold standard for diagnosing polyomavirus-associated nephropathy. We aimed to establish the effects of histopathologic findings proposed by the Banff Polyomavirus Working Group on graft outcome. We also aimed to understand the clinical importance of follow-up biopsies for patients with polyomavirus-associated nephropathy. MATERIALS AND METHODS Our study included 22 patients with polyomavirus-associated nephropathy. All biopsies were classified according to the latest Banff Polyomavirus Working Group classification. Follow-up biopsies of all patients were evaluated in detail. RESULTS The mean interval between polyomavirus-associated nephropathy and transplant was 10 ± 1.6 months. Of 22 patients, biopsy revealed stage 1 in 3 (13.6%), stage 2 in 17 (77.3%), and stage 3 in 2 patients (9.1%). Fourteen patients (63.6%) had polyomavirus viral load 3, 5 (22.7%) had polyomavirus viral load 2, and 3 had polyomavirus viral load 1. Among patients included in analyses, 18.2% had antibody-mediated rejection and 27.2% had T-cell-mediated rejection simultaneously with polyomavirus-associated nephropathy. Graft loss increased with increasing polyomavirus-associated nephropathy class and polyomavirus viral load (P = .015 and P = .002, respectively). The mean time of graft survival decreased with increasing degree of tubulitis, interstitial inflammation, plasma infiltration, and neutrophil infiltration. Patients with interstitial fibrosis, glomerular polyoma, and cortical plus medullar involvement showed earlier graft loss. Follow-up biopsies showed that diffuse interstitial fibrosis or persistent inflam-mation negatively influenced graft loss. CONCLUSIONS The Banff Polyomavirus Working Group's schema significantly correlated with graft outcome. Early detection of polyomavirus-associated nephro-pathy and subsequent detection of persistent inflammation and interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy in follow-up biopsies and modification of immunosuppressive therapy can successfully prevent graft loss.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Handan Özdemir
- From the Department of Pathology, Baskent University, School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkiye
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Nickeleit V, Singh HK, Davis VG, Seshan SV. Classifying Polyomavirus Nephropathy: The “Banff” Initiative. Transpl Int 2022; 35:10299. [PMID: 35368640 PMCID: PMC8967946 DOI: 10.3389/ti.2022.10299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2021] [Accepted: 01/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Volker Nickeleit
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Division of Nephropathology, The University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
- *Correspondence: Volker Nickeleit,
| | - H. K. Singh
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Division of Nephropathology, The University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Vicki G. Davis
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Division of Nephropathology, The University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Surya V. Seshan
- Department of Pathology, Weill-Cornell Medical Center/New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY, United States
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Kurašová E, Štěpán J, Krejčí K, Mrázek F, Sauer P, Janečková J, Tichý T. Current Status, Prevention and Treatment of BK Virus Nephropathy. ACTA MEDICA (HRADEC KRALOVE) 2022; 65:119-124. [PMID: 36942701 DOI: 10.14712/18059694.2023.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/23/2023]
Abstract
All renal transplant recipients should undergo a regular screening for BK viral (BKV) viremia. Gradual reduction of immunosuppression is recommended in patients with persistent plasma BKV viremia for 3 weeks after the first detection, reflecting the presence of probable or suspected BKV-associated nephropathy. Reduction of immunosuppression is also a primary intervention in biopsy proven nephropathy associated with BKV (BKVN). Thus, allograft biopsy is not required to treat patients with BKV viremia with stabilized graft function. There is a lack of proper randomised clinical trials recommending treatment in the form of switching from tacrolimus to cyclosporin-A, from mycophenolate to mTOR inhibitors or leflunomide, or the additive use of intravenous immunoglobulins, leflunomide or cidofovir. Fluoroquinolones are not recommended for prophylaxis or therapy. There are on-going studies to evaluate the possibility of using a multi-epitope anti-BKV vaccine, administration of BKV-specific T cell immunotherapy, BKV-specific human monoclonal antibody and RNA antisense oligonucleotides. Retransplantation after allograft loss due to BKVN can be successful if BKV viremia is definitively removed, regardless of allograft nephrectomy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ester Kurašová
- University Hospital Olomouc and Palacký University Olomouc, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Department of Internal Medicine III - Nephrology, Rheumatology and Endocrinology, Olomouc, Czech Republic.
| | - Jakub Štěpán
- University Hospital Olomouc and Palacký University Olomouc, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Department of Internal Medicine III - Nephrology, Rheumatology and Endocrinology, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Karel Krejčí
- University Hospital Olomouc and Palacký University Olomouc, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Department of Internal Medicine III - Nephrology, Rheumatology and Endocrinology, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - František Mrázek
- University Hospital Olomouc and Palacký University Olomouc, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Department of Immunology, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Pavel Sauer
- University Hospital Olomouc and Palacký University Olomouc, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Department of Microbiology, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Jana Janečková
- University Hospital Olomouc and Palacký University Olomouc, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Department of Surgery II, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Tomáš Tichý
- University Hospital Olomouc and Palacký University Olomouc, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Department of Clinical and Molecular Pathology, Olomouc, Czech Republic
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