Transient Parvovirus B19 DNAemia After Kidney Transplantation: A 2-Sided Story

Anne Russcher; Marijke Molenaar-de Backer; Caroline de Brouwer; Kyra Dijkstra; Jesper Kers; Aiko de Vries; Hans Zaaijer; Ann Vossen; Aloysius Kroes

doi:10.1093/ofid/ofad079

Transient Parvovirus B19 DNAemia After Kidney Transplantation: A 2-Sided Story

Open Forum Infect Dis. 2023 Feb 14;10(3):ofad079. doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofad079. eCollection 2023 Mar.

Authors

Anne Russcher¹, Marijke Molenaar-de Backer², Caroline de Brouwer¹, Kyra Dijkstra³, Jesper Kers³, Aiko de Vries⁴, Hans Zaaijer², Ann Vossen¹, Aloysius Kroes¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medical Microbiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
² Donor Medicine Research, Department of Blood-borne Infections, Sanquin Blood Supply Foundation, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
³ Department of Pathology and Leiden Transplant Center, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
⁴ Department of Nephrology and Leiden Transplant Center, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.

Abstract

Parvovirus B19 (B19V) DNAemia appears to be a relatively common finding after kidney transplantation. However, not all DNAemia signifies active infection with replicating virus. This study screened 134 patients posttransplantation for B19V DNAemia and identified 2 cases in which viral DNA was present after transplantation, with the donor kidney as probable source of the DNA. In both cases intact viral particles could not be detected using an endonuclease method, indicating the presence of noninfectious DNA remnants.

Keywords: DNAemia; kidney transplantation; parvovirus B19; viral activity; viremia.