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Case Reports
. 2021 Feb;23(1):e13465.
doi: 10.1111/tid.13465. Epub 2020 Sep 23.

Resurgence of BK virus following Covid-19 in kidney transplant recipients

Christophe Masset  1 , Simon Ville  1   2 , Franck Halary  2 , Benjamin Gaborit  3 , Celine Bressolette-Bodin  4 , Clément Deltombe  1 , Amaury Dujardin  1 , Lola Jacquemont  1   2 , Sabine Lebot  1 , Delphine Kervella  1   2 , Lucille Figueres  1   2 , Diego Cantarovich  1 , Magali Giral  1   2 , Maryvonne Hourmant  1   2 , Gilles Blancho  1   2 , Claire Garandeau  1 , Aurélie Meurette  1 , Jacques Dantal  1   2
Affiliations
Case Reports

Resurgence of BK virus following Covid-19 in kidney transplant recipients

Christophe Masset et al. Transpl Infect Dis. 2021 Feb.

Abstract

Kidney transplant recipients have been supposed vulnerable to severe Covid-19 infection, due to their comorbidities and immunosuppressive therapies. Mild-term complications of Covid-19 are currently unknown, especially in this population. Herein, we report two cases of BKV replication after non-severe SARS-CoV-2 infection. The first case was a 59-year-old man, transplanted 3 months ago, with recent history of slight BKV viremia (3.3 log10 DNA copies/ml). Despite strong reduction of maintenance immunosuppression (interruption of mycophenolic acid and important decrease of calcineurin inhibitors), BKV replication largely increased after Covid-19 and viremia persisted at 4.5 log copy/ml few months later. The second case was a 53-year-old woman, transplanted 15 years ago. She had a recent history of BKV cystitis, which resolved with a decrease of MPA dosage. Few weeks after SARS-CoV-2 infection, she presented recurrence of lower urinary tract symptoms. Our reports highlight that SARS-CoV-2 infection, even without severity, could disrupt immune system and particularly lymphocytes, thus leading to viral replication. Monitoring of viral replications after Covid-19 in kidney transplant recipients could permit to confirm these preliminary observations.

Keywords: BK virus; Covid-19; kidney transplantation.

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References

REFERENCES

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