title: Prevalence of urinary decoy cells and associated risk factors in a Brazilian kidney, pancreas, and kidney-pancreas transplant population.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Polyomavirus BK (BKV) is currently considered one of the most important infectious diseases in kidney transplants recipients. The prevalence of decoy cells (viral containing shed urothelial cells) in these patients varies between 20% and 60%. Of decoy-positive patients, 1%-8% develop BKV nephropathy, a finding that may be associated with graft failure in up to 80% of affected individuals.
  
  
  METHODS
  Decoy cells cytology is an easily performed and inexpensive assay useful for poliomavirus infection screening. Data on the prevalence of decoy cells in simultaneous pancreas-kidney or isolated pancreas recipients remains largely unreported. In the present study, we evaluated 221 patients ≥18 years old with >1 month follow-up after transplantation who had attended the outpatient clinic between September and December 2006.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The total prevalence of decoy cells was 16% (16.9% in kidney recipients, 5.9% in simultaneous kidney-pancreas recipients and 20% in pancreas alone recipients). There were no differences between patients with either positive or negative urinary cytology for decoy cells, regarding demographic (gender, age, race) or clinical (time posttransplantation, donor type [deceased vs living donation], and presence of delayed graft function or rejection, other associated viral infections and type of immunosuppressive drugs variables.
authors.affiliation: Division of Nephrology, Hospital São Lucas da PUCRS, Porto Alegre, Brazil. leonardo.kroth@pucrs.br
authors.forename: L V
authors.initials: LV
authors.lastname: Kroth
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Henkin
authors.forename: L D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Peres
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Paganella
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mazzali
authors.forename: V D
authors.initials: VD
authors.lastname: Duval
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Traesel
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Saitovitch
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001739:BK Virus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D001938:Brazil; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D051799:Delayed Graft Function / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000009:adverse effects; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016035:Pancreas Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D027601:Polyomavirus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000652:urine / Q000821:virology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015995:Prevalence; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014412:Tumor Virus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000652:urine / Q000821:virology; D016482:Urinalysis; D014556:Urine / Q000166:cytology / Q000821:virology; D019459:Urothelium / Q000821:virology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents