Abstract
Background
Dengue fever is the most prevalent arbovirus among humans, its incidence has increased since the re-emergence, and Colombia is a hyperendemic country for this infection. The number of solid-organ transplant (SOT) recipients, at risk of acquiring dengue virus infection, is constantly increasing, and there are few data regarding the clinical course and outcomes of dengue infection among this population. The aim of this study was to describe dengue virus infection in SOT recipients in Cali, Colombia.
Methods
We present a case series of SOT recipients with dengue virus infection, diagnosed by World Health Organization criteria and a positive NS1 and/or IgM dengue antibodies, which were attended at the FVL from 2001 to 2018. Furthermore, we performed a literature review regarding dengue infection in SOT recipients.
Results
A total of 20 patients were included: 17 kidney and 3 liver recipients. The median age was 50.5 years (IQR = 31–63.5), 65% were female. The median time from transplant to dengue was 27.6 months (IQR = 3.82–59.12), and 3 patients had the infection in the first month after the transplant. The most common symptoms were fever (95%), myalgia, headache, and abdominal pain. Warning signs were present in 75% of patients, thrombocytopenia and hemorrhagic manifestations were present in 30% and 15%, respectively. 35% of patients were classified as severe dengue, and 45% were managed at the intensive care unit. Regarding laboratory findings, six patients had transaminases elevation more than three times the upper limit and 7 had serum creatinine elevation, which returned to normal levels. All patients were discharged and none of them had alterations in the graft function. To date, there are approximately 180 reported cases of dengue in SOT recipients (Table 2).
Conclusion
Dengue represents a threat among SOT recipients. Unlike other reports, all patients in this series had a full recovery after the infection, suggesting that timely and effective management of patients and the access to high complexity services could prevent fatal cases.
Disclosures
All authors: No reported disclosures.
Powassan virus infection: case series and literature review from a single institution
