Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is considered an agent responsible for acute hepatitis that does not progress to chronic hepatitis. We identified 14 cases of acute HEV infection in three patients receiving liver transplants, nine receiving kidney transplants, and two receiving kidney and pancreas transplants. All patients were positive for serum HEV RNA. Chronic hepatitis developed in eight patients, as confirmed by persistently elevated aminotransferase levels, serum HEV RNA, and histologic features of chronic hepatitis. The time from transplantation to diagnosis was significantly shorter and the total counts of lymphocytes and of CD2, CD3, and CD4 T cells were significantly lower in patients in whom chronic disease developed.
Source Information
From the Department of Nephrology, Dialysis, and Multiorgan Transplantation (N.K., L.O., J.G., O.C., L.E., D.D., L.R.) and INSERM Unité 858, IFR 31 (N.K., J.-M.P.), Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Rangueil, France; and the Departments of Histopathology (J.S., M.D.), Virology (J.-M.M., F.A., J.I.), and Hepatology (J.-M.P., J.-P.V.), and INSERM Unité 563, IFR 30 (F.A., J.I., L.R.), Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Purpan — all in Toulouse, France.
Address reprint requests to Dr. Kamar at the Department of Nephrology, Dialysis, and Multiorgan Transplantation, CHU Rangueil, TSA 50032, 31059 Toulouse CEDEX 9, France, or at kamar.n{at}chu-toulouse.fr.
This article has been cited by other articles:
HOME | SUBSCRIBE | SEARCH | CURRENT ISSUE | PAST ISSUES | COLLECTIONS | PRIVACY | HELP | beta.nejm.org Comments and questions? Please contact us. The New England Journal of Medicine is owned, published, and copyrighted © 2008 Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved. |
Previous
