Pediatric transplantation
Investigation of Torque Teno Virus Loads as a Marker of Immunosuppression in Pediatric Chronic Renal Failure: A Pilot Study
By Kelly E, Awan A, Wildes D and 5 others.
Abstract
Background
Torque Teno Virus (TTV), family Anelloviridae, is a small, non-enveloped, single-stranded DNA virus that has not been linked with any specific human illness but nevertheless constitutes a major component of the human virome. An association between TTV loads and the immune status of the host with reference to other viral infections, immunosuppression therapy, and acute rejection is reported in adult and pediatric kidney transplant recipients. We sought to investigate the feasibility of TTV as a surrogate marker of the degree of immunosuppression in pediatric kidney transplant patients.
Methods
185 children attending the Nephrology clinic in Children's Health Ireland at Temple Street were studied over a four-year period from September 2019 until November 2023, ranging from 0 to 17 years of age. Patients were enrolled from pre-transplant undergoing kidney replacement therapy (n = 12), from post-transplant (n = 124) groups, and from patients with chronic renal failure (n = 20) (without kidney replacement therapy), all of which were compared to controls (n = 35). TTV loads were quantified using a standardized TTV R-gene kit.