Research Information System
PEDIATRIC TRANSPLANTATION, vol.25, no.2, 2021 (SCI-Expanded)
The aims were to investigate the incidence of BKV infection and the presence of HC in pediatric patients undergoing HSCT. Twenty-four children patients (M/F: 17/7) undergoing HSCT in a single center over a period of 1 year were included in the study. The presence of BKV DNA was determined by quantitative real-time PCR in plasma and urine samples at the following times: before transplantation, twice a week until engraftment time, and weekly for + 100 days. The mean age of the patients was 7.79 +/- 5.03 years, the mean follow-up time was 95.6 +/- 25.9 days, and the average number of samples per patient was 15.8 +/- 3.2. BKV DNA was detected in at least one urine sample in 91.6% (n: 22) and at least one plasma sample in 75% (n:18) of the patients. The median time to the first BKV DNA positivity in urine and plasma samples was 11 (range: 1-80) and 32 days (range: 2-79), respectively. The median value of BKV DNA copies in urine and plasma were 1.7 x 10(6) (range: 2.8 x 10(1)-1.2 x 10(14)) and 1.9 x 10(3) copies/mL (range: 3-2.1 x 10(6)), respectively. Thirteen patients (54.2%) had hematuria with BKV viruria; 8 (33.3%) patients had viremia. The median value of the BKV DNA copies in urine and plasma was 4.4 x 10(7) (range: 65-1 x 10(11)) and 2.9 x 10(3) (range: 7-7.8 x 10(4)) copies/mL in these patients. Two (15.4%) of the 13 patients with BKV viruria and hematuria were diagnosed with BKV-related HC. BKV DNA viral load monitoring of urine and plasma in pediatric HSCT patients with a high risk for viral infections is valuable for understanding the development of BKV-related HC.