Multisite biologic tissue SARS-CoV-2 PCR testing in kidney transplantation from a COVID-positive donor

Jared R Zhang; Michael Kueht; A Scott Lea; Heather L Stevenson; Joseph Gosnell; Ping Ren; Marisa C Nielsen; Aaron Miller; Muhammad Mujtaba; Jeffrey Fair

doi:10.1093/jscr/rjac314

Multisite biologic tissue SARS-CoV-2 PCR testing in kidney transplantation from a COVID-positive donor

J Surg Case Rep. 2022 Jul 5;2022(7):rjac314. doi: 10.1093/jscr/rjac314. eCollection 2022 Jul.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ UTMB, Department of Surgery, Division of Transplant Surgery, University Boulevard, Galveston, Texas, USA.
² UTMB, Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University Boulevard, Galveston, Texas, USA.
³ UTMB, Department of Pathology, University Boulevard, Galveston, Texas, USA.
⁴ UTMB, Department of Pediatrics, Vaccinology, University Boulevard, Galveston, Texas, USA.
⁵ UTMB, Department of Medicine, Division of Transplant Nephrology, University Boulevard, Galveston, Texas, USA.

Abstract

With a high community transmission rate, SARS-CoV-2 has profoundly exacerbated the shortage of organs. Although the risk of donor-recipient transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is anecdotally low, an organ-specific infection analysis of procured organs from SARS-CoV-2 positive donors has yet to be established. Using a combination of clinically available and research-only polymerase chain reaction methods, organ preservation fluid and renal parenchymal tissues were tested for SARS-CoV-2 from the kidney of a SARS-CoV-2-positive donor prior to transplantation. The recipient has remained SARS-CoV-2 negative and clinically well, with excellent graft function 120 days post-transplantation.

Publication types

Case Reports