Transmission of hepatitis C virus by kidney transplantation: impact of perfusion techniques and course of viremia post transplant.

Publication/Presentation Date

1-1-1995

Abstract

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is the leading cause of post-transplant non-A, non-B hepatitis. Although many end-stage renal disease patients present for transplantation already infected with HCV, some recipients acquire the infection by transmission from the donor organ. We have detected serological evidence for HCV infection in 6.8% of our organ donors using second-generation anti-HCV assays. Approximately one-third of the patients who received an organ from a HCV carrier donor developed chronic transaminasemia and 8 of 14 (56%) patients converted from HCV RNA negative to positive in the posttransplant period. Demonstration of the course of viremia and transaminasemia is presented for 2 patients in whom transmission of HCV occurred. Using pulsatile machine perfusion, we were able to demonstrate that a standard perfusion of 20 h reduced the viral load in the kidney by 75%, additional flushes and a subsequent perfusion reduced the total viral titer by more than 99%. Thus, although transmission of HCV does occur with solid-organ transplantation, differences in the incidence of transmission between centers may be related to techniques of organ preservation.

Volume

9 Suppl

First Page

29

Last Page

34

ISSN

0931-041X

Disciplines

Medicine and Health Sciences

PubMedID

7492483

Department(s)

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Document Type

Article

Link to Full Text

Share

COinS