First epidemiologic study in Argentina of the prevalence of BK viruria in kidney transplant patients.

BACKGROUND: The worldwide seroprevalence of human BK polyomavirus (BKV) in adults is 80%. About 10%-60% of renal transplant recipients experience BKV infection, nephropathy of the graft may occur in 5% of the cases, and up to 45% lose the graft. The aim of this work was to describe the prevalence of BK viruria during the 1st year after transplantation. METHODS: An epidemiologic multicenter cross-sectional study was carried out in consecutive patients at each site with kidney transplantation from August 2011 to July 2012. Clinically significant viruria was defined as >10(7) copies/mL. Viral DNA was extracted with the use of silica columns. Quantification was performed with the use of real-time polymerase chain reaction with primers that amplify a fragment of the large T-antigen gene and with a specific Taqman-MGB probe for BKV. For each assay, a standard curve with a quantified plasmid was included. RESULTS: Of 402 renal transplant recipients at 18 renal transplant sites, we analyzed 382; median age was 46.33 years, and 46.40% were female. The median of the temporal distribution for urine samples was 153 days. BK virus was detected in 50/382 samples (13%), 18 with values >10(7) copies/mL (4.7%). The median of the distribution of positive values was 123 days and the highest frequency of positive values was in months 3-7. The conditions of recipient older than 34 years and donor older than 41 years were the only ones that showed statistically significant association with BK viruria. No association with any specific immunosuppressive drug was observed. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first multicenter study conducted in Argentina to determine the prevalence of BK viruria in renal transplant recipients. Because of the growing number of the population susceptible to this infection, it is important to register and describe data about its epidemiology and associated risk factors.

Case report of a kidney transplant recipient converted to everolimus due to malignancy: resolution of bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia without everolimus discontinuation.

The use of proliferative signal inhibitors (PSIs) in immunosuppression-related malignancies opens new roads for increasing the survival and quality of life in patients with solid organ transplantation. A 56-year-old female recipient of a living donor renal allograft (1990), who was immunosuppressed with cyclosporine (CsA; Neoral), azathioprine, and steroids, did initially well with acceptable renal function. During the last 5 years she required local therapy due to posterior vaginal lip human papillomavirus (HPV) lesions. In 2000, she discontinued azathioprine and the CsA doses were reduced to 100 mg daily. The local lesion showed a good response to reduced immunosuppression. In February 2005, the lesion reappeared and a biopsy showed malignancy. Local surgery was performed and CsA was replaced by everolimus (EVL; Certican). Two months after treatment initiation, the patient developed cough, dyspnea, and low-grade fever. Chest X-ray showed a lesion at the base of the left lung compatible with pneumonitis. After fiberbronchoscopy a diagnosis of bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia (BOOP) was obtained. She was treated with increased doses of oral steroids. EVL was never discontinued. The radiological lesion disappeared and the malignancy is currently in remission. In summary, a case of gynecological cancer in a renal transplant recipient was treated by surgical removal. After 1 year of immunosuppression with EVL, no recurrence has been observed. The adverse event (BOOP) was probably related to the PSI treatment and was controlled with an increased dose of steroids without discontinuing EVL.

Two-hour post-dose cyclosporine levels in renal transplantation in Argentina: a cost-effective strategy for reducing acute rejection.

UNLABELLED: Monitoring of cyclosporine (microemulsion CsA) at 2 hours post-dose (C2), a measure of absorption and exposure, appears superior to trough (C0) monitoring for prediction of rejection risk. The purpose of this study was to determine whether C2 was cost-effective compared to C0 in Argentina. METHODS: A predictive decision model was adapted to Argentina to predict costs associated with C0 and C2 measurements in the first year after transplantation. Patients were treated with microemulsion CsA, steroids and azathioprine or MMF. Parameter estimates for the C0 strategy were based on event rates observed in published clinical trials. The model was adapted to Argentinean health system through local protocols and expert opinions; costs were valued in Argentinean pesos and converted to US dollars (1 USD = 2.85 ARS). RESULTS: Incidence of acute rejection was predicted to be 25.0% at 1-year among patients monitored by C0 and 18.0% by C2. Graft survival was predicted to be 1.4% lower in the C0 group. No important differences were identified in co-morbidity, C0 and C2 monitoring costs, and in ambulatory-based adverse events between C0 and C2 cohorts. The model predicted an average cost per patient of $16,269 for C0 and $16,343 for C2 testing (year 1). Sensitivity analyses indicated that the average daily dose of microemulsion CsA was the most important parameter leading to the incremental cost per patient. CONCLUSIONS: C2 is expected to provide a potentially important reduction in the risk of acute rejection without increasing the estimated cost of care in the first year post-transplant.