BACKGROUND. Diarrhea in SOT recipients is common and often attributed to immunosuppressive drug side effects. However, enteric viruses are important causes of acute gastroenteritis and have been associated with severe and prolonged diarrhea in SOT recipients. METHODS. A retrospective study (2001-2015) was performed to examine the epidemiology and clinical features of viral gastroenteritis in adult and pediatric SOT recipients who were followed at University of Alberta Hospital and Stollery Children's Hospital in Edmonton. Routine diagnostic test was electron microscopy (EM) until a NAT panel for five gastrointestinal viruses (GIV) was implemented in October 2013. Infection is defined by the presence of symptoms and a new virus identified in a stool sample.

RESULTS. 1712 stool samples from 692 SOT were tested for GIV with positivity rate shown in table 1. When EM was used, 27 (2.6%) of 1057 stool samples (478 patients) were positive for GIV, while 293 (45%) of 655 stool samples (371 patients) tested by NAT were positive for GIV. Pediatric SOT recipients have a higher rate of GIV infections (32% vs. 16%), mixed infections (20 vs. 5%) and multiple episodes of diarrhea (28% vs. 1%) as compared to adults.

CONCLUSIONS. NAT panel for GIV may offer better diagnosis of the etiology of diarrhea in SOT patients. Norovirus is the most common GIV identified and higher positivity rates of GIV are observed between October and April.

CITATION INFORMATION: Hernández Garcia C, Lee B, Pang X, Yuan Zhou H, Preikisatis J. Viral Gastroenteritis in Adult and Pediatric Solid Organ Transplant (SOT) Patients. Am J Transplant. 2016;16 (suppl 3).

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