Epstein-Barr virus infection in renal transplant recipients
Transplant recipients are treated with immunosuppressive drugs to avoid rejection of the transplanted organ. As the medication impairs the immune response, it also increases the risk of serious infections and cancer. Particularly Epstein-Barr virus infection has been associated with development of post transplant lymphoproliferative disease after transplantation. Consequently regular monitoring of EBV DNA has been widely implemented despite little consensus of its utility and management of the results.

In this study, we aim to explore the clinical consequences of EBV-DNAemia in the transplant setting and to optimise early diagnosis of PTLD.

The project is designed as a prospective observational multicentre study of EBV-DNAemia in whole blood and plasma the first year after transplantation. Patients will be followed for severe infections, development of PTLD, other cancers and graft function up to 10 years after transplantation.

Researchers:

• Lene Ugilt Pagter Ludvigsen
  MD, PhD student
• Bente Jespersen
  Professor, MD, DMSci