Assessing Tissue Transmission of Hepatitis C Virus From Viremic Donor to Seronegative Kidney Transplant Recipients: A Case Series

Overview

Journal Transpl Int

Specialty General Surgery

Date 2023 Aug 3

PMID 37534060

Authors

Antonio Franco

Carla Gosalvez

Adelina Gimeno

Migul Trigueros

Noelia Balibrea

Francisco Javier Perez Contreras

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The transmission of hepatitis C virus from viremic donors to seronegative recipients of kidney transplantation is well documented. Pre-transplant administration of direct-acting antivirals prevents viremia, but the seroconversion rate is high. We studied the transmission of the virus through the transplanted tissue by determining viral RNA in 15 kidneys from 8 deceased viremic donors, 5 males and 3 females aged 52.3 ± 15 years. HIV positive donors and active intravenous drugs abusers were discarded to avoid possible window periods in the virus transmission. Recipients, 9 males and 6 females aged 52.7 ± 18 years, were treated with glecaprevir/pibrentasvir for 8 weeks and received immunosuppression with thymoglobulin, tacrolimus, sirolimus and prednisone. Hepatitis C Virus was detected in 9 of the 15 histological samples analyzed but viremia was detected in no recipient at day 1 and 7 post-transplantation and 12 weeks after the treatment. However, 13 of the 15 recipients had seroconverted within 1 month. In conclusion, Hepatitis C virus was detected in a significant proportion of tissue of kidney grafts from viremic donors, but treatment with direct-acting antivirals avoids the transmission of the virus from donor to recipient. Then Donor pools should be expanded.

Citing Articles

Prophylactic Treatment of Hepatitis C Virus Infection After Kidney Transplantation with the Combination of Glecaprevir/Pibrentasvir and Sofosbuvir in a Highly Sensitized Hepatitis C Virus-Negative Recipient: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Belcic Mikic T, Sterle I, Maticic M, Arnol M Biomedicines. 2025; 13(2).

PMID: 40002884 PMC: 11853736. DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines13020472.

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