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HOPE springs eternal: lack of HIV superinfection in HIV Organ Policy Equity Act kidney transplants

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: Kidney transplantation from donors with HIV to recipients with HIV (HIV D+/R+) is an emerging practice that has shown substantial clinical benefit. Sustained HIV superinfection, whereby a transplant recipient acquires a new strain of HIV from their organ donor, is a theoretical risk, which might increase chances of viral failure. In this issue of the JCI, Travieso, Stadtler, and colleagues present phylogenetic analysis of HIV from kidney tissue, urine, plasma, and cells from 12 HIV D+/R+ kidney transplants out to five years of follow-up. Early after transplant, donor HIV was transiently detected in five of 12 recipients, primarily from donors with untreated HIV and high-level viremia, consistent with a viral inoculum. Long-term, donor HIV was not detected in any recipients, demonstrating no sustained HIV superinfection. These reassuring data support earlier findings from South Africa and the United States and further confirm the safety of HIV D+/R+ transplantation.

Source: Journal of Clinical Investigation

DOI: 10.1172/jci184326

Authors: Christine M. Durand, Andrew D. Redd

Institutions: Johns Hopkins University, National Institutes of Health, University of Cape Town, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine

Language: English

Topic: HIV Research and Treatment

Subfield: Virology

Field: Immunology and Microbiology

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $5,200