Photo Credit: Dr_Microbe

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-seronegative recipients of EBV-seropositive donor (EBV D+/R−) kidneys have an increased risk for posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD), according to a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Vishnu S. Potluri, MD, MPH, and colleagues examined associations between pretransplant EBV D+/R− and recipient EBV-seropositive status (R+) and the outcomes of PTLD and graft and patient survival in kidney transplant recipients (104 EBV D+/R− recipients matched to 312 EBV R+ recipients). Nearly half (48.1%) of the EBV D+/R− recipients developed EBV DNAemia, with a median time of 198 days after transplant. At a median of 202 days after transplant, 23 (22.1%) EBV D+/R− recipients had PTLD. Higher all-cause graft failure was seen in EBV D+/R− recipients (HR, 2.21; 95% CI, 1.06 to 4.63), and mortality was higher, but not statistically significant. “Our findings highlight the need for … counseling prospective EBV D+/R− recipients about the elevated risk for early PTLD,” Dr. Potluri and colleagues wrote.