West Nile virus encephalitis: an emerging disease in renal transplant recipients.
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.
Wadei
Hani
H
Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Wayne State University of School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA.
Alangaden
George J
GJ
Sillix
Dale H
DH
El-Amm
Jose M
JM
Gruber
Scott A
SA
West
Miguel S
MS
Granger
Darla K
DK
Garnick
James
J
Chandrasekar
Pranatharthi
P
Migdal
Stephen D
SD
Haririan
Abdolreza
A
D000368:Aged; D021821:Communicable Diseases, Emerging / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014901:West Nile Fever / Q000209:etiology*