Transmission of Hepatitis A Virus through Combined Liver-Small Intestine-Pancreas Transplantation.
Although transmission of hepatitis A virus (HAV) through blood transfusion has been documented, transmission through organ transplantation has not been reported. In August 2015, state health officials in Texas, USA, were notified of 2 home health nurses with HAV infection whose only common exposure was a child who had undergone multi-visceral organ transplantation 9 months earlier. Specimens from the nurses, organ donor, and all organ recipients were tested and medical records reviewed to determine a possible infection source. Identical HAV RNA sequences were detected from the serum of both nurses and the organ donor, as well as from the multi-visceral organ recipient's serum and feces; this recipient's posttransplant liver and intestine biopsy specimens also had detectable virus. The other organ recipients tested negative for HAV RNA. Vaccination of the donor might have prevented infection in the recipient and subsequent transmission to the healthcare workers.
Monique A
MA
Foster
Lauren M
LM
Weil
Sherry
S
Jin
Thomas
T
Johnson
Tonya R
TR
Hayden-Mixson
Yury
Y
Khudyakov
Pallavi D
PD
Annambhotla
Sridhar V
SV
Basavaraju
Saleem
S
Kamili
Jana M
JM
Ritter
Noele
N
Nelson
George
G
Mazariegos
Michael
M
Green
Ryan W
RW
Himes
David T
DT
Kuhar
Matthew J
MJ
Kuehnert
Jeffrey A
JA
Miller
Rachel
R
Wiseman
Anne C
AC
Moorman
D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D006506:Hepatitis A / Q000635:transmission* / Q000821:virology*; D030041:Hepatitis A virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D017758:Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional; D009726:Nurses; D016377:Organ Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D066027:Transplant Recipients
healthcare workers; hepatitis A virus; liver; pancrease; small intestine; transmission; transplantation; viremia; viruses