Dariusz Lipowski1, Marta Popiel2, Karol Perlejewski2, Shota Nakamura3, Iwona Bukowska-Osko2, Ewa Rzadkiewicz1, Tomasz Dzieciatkowski4, Anna Milecka5, Wojciech Wenski6, Michal Ciszek7, Alicja Debska-Slizien8, Ewa Ignacak9, Kamila Caraballo Cortes2, Agnieszka Pawelczyk2, Andrzej Horban1, Marek Radkowski2, Tomasz Laskus2. 1. Department of Infectious Diseases, Warsaw Medical University, Warsaw, Poland. 2. Department of Immunopathology of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, Warsaw Medical University, Warsaw, Poland. 3. Department of Infection Metagenomics, Genome Information Research Center, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan. 4. Department of Microbiology, Warsaw Medical University, Warsaw, Poland. 5. Department of General and Endocrine Surgery and Transplantation Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland. 6. Intensive Care Unit, Regional Hospital, Elblag, Poland. 7. Department of Immunology, Warsaw Medical University, Warsaw, Poland. 8. Department of Nephrology, Transplantation and Internal Diseases, Gdansk Medical University, Gdansk, Poland. 9. Department of Nephrology, Kraków Medical University Hospital, Poland.
Abstract
Background: Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) infection has become a major health problem in Europe and is currently a common cause of viral brain infection in many countries. Encephalitis in transplant recipients, althrough rare, is becoming a recognized complication. Our study provides the first description of transmission of TBEV through transplantation of solid organs. Methods: Three patients who received solid organ transplants from a single donor (2 received kidney, and 1 received liver) developed encephalitis 17-49 days after transplantation and subsequently died. Blood and autopsy tissue samples were tested by next-generation sequencing (NGS) and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Results: All 3 recipients were first analyzed in autopsy brain tissue samples and/or cerebrospinal fluid by NGS, which yielded 24-52 million sequences per sample and 9-988 matched TBEV sequences in each patient. The presence of TBEV was confirmed by RT-PCR in all recipients and in the donor, and direct sequencing of amplification products corroborated the presence of the same viral strain. Conclusions: We demonstrated transmission of TBEV by transplantation of solid organs. In such a setting, TBEV infection may be fatal, probably due to pharmacological immunosuppression. Organ donors should be screened for TBEV when coming from or visiting endemic areas.
Background: Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) infection has become a major health problem in Europe and is currently a common cause of viral brain infection in many countries. Encephalitis in transplant recipients, althrough rare, is becoming a recognized complication. Our study provides the first description of transmission of TBEV through transplantation of solid organs. Methods: Three patients who received solid organ transplants from a single donor (2 received kidney, and 1 received liver) developed encephalitis 17-49 days after transplantation and subsequently died. Blood and autopsy tissue samples were tested by next-generation sequencing (NGS) and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Results: All 3 recipients were first analyzed in autopsy brain tissue samples and/or cerebrospinal fluid by NGS, which yielded 24-52 million sequences per sample and 9-988 matched TBEV sequences in each patient. The presence of TBEV was confirmed by RT-PCR in all recipients and in the donor, and direct sequencing of amplification products corroborated the presence of the same viral strain. Conclusions: We demonstrated transmission of TBEV by transplantation of solid organs. In such a setting, TBEV infection may be fatal, probably due to pharmacological immunosuppression. Organ donors should be screened for TBEV when coming from or visiting endemic areas.
Authors: Philipp A Steininger; Tobias Bobinger; Wenke Dietrich; De-Hyung Lee; Michael Knott; Christian Bogdan; Klaus Korn; Roland Lang Journal: Open Forum Infect Dis Date: 2017-09-26 Impact factor: 3.835
Authors: Samo Zakotnik; Nataša Knap; Petra Bogovič; Tomaž Mark Zorec; Mario Poljak; Franc Strle; Tatjana Avšič-Županc; Miša Korva Journal: Viruses Date: 2022-06-10 Impact factor: 5.818
Authors: Marta Popiel; Karol Perlejewski; Agnieszka Bednarska; Tomasz Dzieciątkowski; Marcin Paciorek; Dariusz Lipowski; Monika Jabłonowska; Hanna Czeszko-Paprocka; Iwona Bukowska-Ośko; Kamila Caraballo Cortes; Agnieszka Pawełczyk; Maria Fic; Andrzej Horban; Marek Radkowski; Tomasz Laskus Journal: PLoS One Date: 2017-06-01 Impact factor: 3.240