IngentaConnect West Nile virus encephalitis: an emerging disease in renal transp...

Authors: Wadei, Hani¹; Alangaden, George J²; Sillix, Dale H¹; El-Amm, Jose M¹; Gruber, Scott A³; West, Miguel S³; Granger, Darla K³; Garnick, James⁴; Chandrasekar, Pranatharthi²; Migdal, Stephen D¹; Haririan, Abdolreza¹

Source: Clinical Transplantation, Volume 18, Number 6, December 2004 , pp. 753-758(6)

Publisher: Blackwell Publishing

Abstract:

Wadei H, Alangaden GJ, Sillix DH, El-Amm JM, Gruber SA, West MS, Granger DK, Garnick J, Chandrasekar P, Migdal SD, Haririan A. West Nile virus encephalitis: an emerging disease in renal transplant recipients.

Clin Transplant 2004 DOI: 10.1111/j.1399-0012.2004.00283.x

West Nile virus (WNV) has emerged as an important cause of several outbreaks of febrile illness and encephalitis in North America over the past few years. The most common manifestation in symptomatic patients is a transient febrile illness. Neuroinvasive disease, that can be fatal, occurs most often in elderly and immunocompromised hosts. The role of this virus as a cause of meninoencephalitis in organ transplant recipients is becoming better recognized. We describe herein the clinical course of two renal allograft recipients who developed WNV encephalitis. One patient developed status epilepticus and eventually died, while the other had a full recovery. In both cases, the diagnosis was confirmed by detection of WNV-specific IgM in CSF or serum, with a delayed antibody response in one patient. This viral infection should be considered in all renal transplant recipients who present with a febrile illness associated with neurological symptoms.

Keywords: encephalitis; kidney transplant; status epilepticus; West Nile virus

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1111/j.1399-0012.2004.00283.x

Affiliations: 1: Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine 2: Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine 3: Section of Transplant Surgery, Department of Surgery, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA 4: Pharmacy Department, Harper University Hospital, Detroit, MI, USA

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