2017-04-01
Chronic norovirus infection among solid organ recipients in a tertiary care hospital, the Netherlands, 2006-2014
Publication
Publication
Clinical Microbiology and Infection , Volume 23 - Issue 4 p. 265.e9- 265.e13
Objectives: Immunocompromised patients can suffer prolonged norovirus symptoms and virus shedding for many years. Little is known about the prevalence of chronic norovirus infection among solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients. In this study, 2182 SOT recipients were retrospectively tested for chronic norovirus infection. Methods: The first and last norovirus positive faecal samples of SOT recipients were sequenced to distinguish between persisting infection and re-infection. Patient charts were reviewed to obtain data on health status and treatments. Results: In all, 101 of 2182 (4.6%) recipients were norovirus infected and 23 (22.8%) of these developed chronic norovirus infection. Chronic norovirus infection was found among allogeneic heart, kidney and lung transplant recipients. The median shedding period at the end of the study period was 218 days (range 32-1164 days). Conclusions: This study shows that chronic norovirus infection is not a rare phenomenon among SOT recipients in a tertiary-care hospital. Further research is needed to study the risk of norovirus transmission to other immunocompromised patients in the hospital and to the general population.
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doi.org/10.1016/j.cmi.2016.12.010, hdl.handle.net/1765/95429 | |
Clinical Microbiology and Infection | |
Organisation | Erasmus MC: University Medical Center Rotterdam |
van Beek, J., Eijck, A., Fraaij, P., Caliskan, K., Cransberg, K., Dalinghaus, M., … Koopmans, M., D.V.M. (2017). Chronic norovirus infection among solid organ recipients in a tertiary care hospital, the Netherlands, 2006-2014. Clinical Microbiology and Infection, 23(4), 265.e9–265.e13. doi:10.1016/j.cmi.2016.12.010 |