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. 2022 Winter;17(1):8-14.
doi: 10.30699/IJP.2021.535072.2690. Epub 2021 Dec 15.

Higher Viral Load of Polyomavirus Type BK but not JC among Renal Transplant Recipients in Comparison to Donors

Samaneh Abolbashari  1   2 , Mohammadtaghi Shakeri  3   4 , Maryam Hami  5 , Aida Gholoobi  6 , Amin Hooshyar Chechaklou  7 , Mohammasadegh Damavandi  8 , Aref Movaqar  7 , Razieh Yousefi  1   4 , Zahra Meshkat  7 , Saeedeh Hajebi-Khaniki  1   4
Affiliations

Higher Viral Load of Polyomavirus Type BK but not JC among Renal Transplant Recipients in Comparison to Donors

Samaneh Abolbashari et al. Iran J Pathol. 2022 Winter.

Abstract

Background & objective: Polyomaviruses types BK and JC and Cytomegalovirus (CMV) have been shown to be related to kidney transplantation complications. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of these viruses in patients receiving kidney transplantation.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 40 kidney transplant recipients and 44 donors. Urine samples were used for the extraction of viral DNA. The prevalence of JC and BK viruses and their viral loads were determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction.

Results: JC and BK viruses were identified in 31% and 92.3% of all subjects, respectively. The frequency of JC and BK cases was not statistically different between the recipient and donor groups (P>0.05). All patients in the donor group and 96.8% of the recipients were positive for CMV IgG antibody. The mean viral load of BK in donors and recipients was 4.5×1010 and 3.3×1011 copies, respectively. The mean viral load of JC was 8.6×107 copies in donors and 2.9×108 copies in recipients. The distribution of BKV was significantly higher in recipients than donors (P=0.001), while no difference was observed between the two studied groups for JCV.

Conclusion: This study showed a relatively high prevalence of BK and JC viruria in both renal transplant donors and recipients. The viral load for BKV, but not JCV, was higher in recipients than in donors.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Urine BK virus DNA level in renal transplant recipients and donors. The viral load is significantly higher in the recipient group. (P< 0.001)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Urine JC virus DNA level in renal transplant recipients and donors. The viral load is not significantly different in the two groups (P>0.05)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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