Incidence and Timing of Epstein-Barr Virus Whole Blood DNAemia in Epstein-Barr Virus-Mismatched Adult and Pediatric Solid Organ Transplant Recipients.

BACKGROUND

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) viral load (VL) monitoring is recommended post-transplant for EBV-mismatched (donor EBV seropositive/recipient EBV seronegative) solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients as a component of post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) prevention, but the optimal frequency and timing of EBV VL monitoring remains unknown.

METHODS

In this retrospective cohort study, we investigated the incidence and timing of whole blood EBV DNAemia in EBV-mismatched adult and pediatric SOT recipients, who had EBV VL monitoring as part of a pre-emptive approach to PTLD prevention to optimize monitoring algorithms. We explored associations between donor-acquired EBV DNAemia (DA-EBV), defined as EBV DNAemia within 1 year post-transplant, and donor and recipient characteristics, and determined the proportion who developed PTLD.

RESULTS

We analyzed 257 D+/R- recipients (kidney n = 64, heart n = 75, liver n = 93, lung n = 25); 126/257 (49.0%) developed DA-EBV at a median of 83 days (Q1-Q3: 50-130 days) post-transplant. Incidence of DA-EBV varied by organ and was highest in liver (62.4%) and lowest in heart recipients (28.0%). PTLD was diagnosed in 38/257 (14.8%) EBV-mismatched recipients, 25/162 (15.4%) children, and 13/95 (13.7%) adults. DA-EBV was uncommon in recipients less than 6 months old (3/29, 10.3%) and among recipients less than 12 months with donors less than 12 months (2/29, 6.9%); possible mechanisms of protection other than recipient passive maternal antibody and false-positive donor serostatus are discussed.

CONCLUSION

Monitoring for DA-EBV should be focused on months 2-6 post-transplant. Less frequent whole blood EBV VL monitoring is likely a safe option in recipients less than 6 months old and recipients 6-12 months old with donors less than 12 months old.