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BK Virus‐Specific Antibodies and BKV DNA in Renal Transplant Recipients with BKV Nephritis

2005; Elsevier BV; Volume: 5; Issue: 11 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1111/j.1600-6143.2005.01080.x

1600-6143

Sundaram Hariharan, Eric P. Cohen, Brahm Vasudev, Rimas J. Orentas, Raphael P. Viscidi, Justin K. Kakela, Brian DuChateau,

Parvovirus B19 Infection Studies

We evaluated twenty renal transplant subjects at various stages of BKV nephritis (BKVN) for BKV-specific IgG and IgM antibodies using ELISA technique and BKV-DNA using PCR. They were divided as early onset (n = 7), stabilizing (n = 3), resolved (n = 8) and late onset (n = 2) BKVN. BKV-specific antibodies and BKV-DNA were simultaneously determined. The mean BKV-specific IgG level in early onset and stabilizing BKVN were 64 and 39 EIA units, and were significantly lower than 138 EIA units seen in resolved BKVN, P = 0.007, P = 0.008. The mean BKV-specific IgM levels in stabilizing BKVN was higher than resolved BKVN (130 vs 51 EIA units), P = 0.006. Mean plasma BKV loads for each group were 955 925, 5642 and 42 copies/mL of plasma, respectively. Prospective study in six BKVN cases revealed mean IgG, IgM levels and BKV-DNA at the time of diagnosis of BKVN as 39, 110 EIA units and 586 758 copies/mL of plasma, respectively. After a mean period of 5.2 months, IgG level increased to 120 EIA units (p = 0.0058) and had no detectable viral copies in circulation. Recovery from BKVN and elimination of BKV is associated with the development of BKV-specific IgG antibodies and this provides insight into the role of humoral immunity to BKV in the pathogenesis of BKVN.