Prospective study of posttransplant polyomavirus infection in renal transplant recipients.

OBJECTIVES: The BK virus is the most common pathogen in renal transplant recipients. Limited information is available regarding JC virus or Simian virus infections in renal transplant recipients. This prospective study sought to investigate the rate of BK virus, JC virus, and Simian virus 40 infections and their influence on allograft function in the early stages after surgery.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: In total, 50 renal transplant recipients and 20 healthy blood donors were studied. The BK virus, the JC virus, and the Simian virus 40 were detected by nested qualitative polymerase chain reaction assays in urine and plasma. The difference of glomerular filtration rate among BK virus-infected, JC virus-infected, and uninfected patients was compared using the Kruskal-Wallis test.
RESULTS: The polyomavirus viruria was detected in 46% of renal transplant recipients (4% of the BK virus and 42% of the JC virus viruria) and 10% of the healthy blood donors (5% for the BK virus and the JC virus viruria). No polyomavirus viremia was detected. No difference of glomerular filtration rate was found among the 3 groups (chi-square = 0.228; P = .892).
CONCLUSIONS: Polyomavirus infections are not uncommon, and the incidence of JC virus infection is much higher in renal transplant recipients than it is in BK virus. Neither BK virus nor JC virus infections appeared to influence graft function in the early stages after surgery.