Post-Kidney Transplantation Epstein-Barr Virus Infection in Children: Case Series Study

Background: One of the main problems following organ transplantation is the spread of various microbial infections, especially opportunistic infections, including Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV). Objectives: We aimed to determine the prevalence rate of EBV infection in children undergoing kidney transplantation by recognizing the virus titers before and after transplantation. Methods: In this case series study, 16 children who underwent kidney transplantation and hospitalization were retrospectively assessed. The EBV serology was assessed by virus Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) quantitative assessment using the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technique. A brief review was also performed on post-kidney transplantation EBV infection in the explored children. Results: All studied patients were seronegative for EBV before transplantation; while two (12.5%) male children had positive serology after transplantation with the loads of 278 copies/mL and 14655 copies/ML, and none resulted in the rejection of kidney transplantation. The duration after transplantation was significantly longer in those children with positive serology after transplantation (P=0.025). No significant association was detected between the serological positivity for EBV and patients' gender, causes for kidney insufficiency before transplantation, baseline underlying disorders, initial medications, the type of donor, and the mean age. Conclusions: Among the investigated children undergoing renal transplantation, none were seropositive to EBV before transplantation; while 12.5% have been converted to EBV seropositivity after transplantation. The odds of EBV seropositivity was only linked to the time interval from the transplantation.