Monitoring xenotransplant recipients for infection by PERV

• Published in: Clinical biochemistry Vol. 34; no. 1; pp. 23 - 27
• Main Authors: Herring, Chris, Cunningham, Deirdre A, Whittam, Alison J, Fernández-Suárez, Xosé M, Langford, Gillian A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.02.2001
• Subjects: Animals; Chemistry, Clinical - methods; DNA, Viral - analysis; Humans; microchimerism; Patient monitoring; pigs; Porcine endogenous retrovirus; Retrospective Studies; Retroviridae - metabolism; Retroviridae Infections - diagnosis; Retroviridae Infections - transmission; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; Review; Swine; Transplantation, Heterologous - adverse effects; Xenotransplantation; Xenozoonosis; Patient monitoring; Porcine endogenous retrovirus; Review; Xenozoonosis; Xenotransplantation
• ISSN: 0009-9120; 1873-2933
• DOI: 10.1016/S0009-9120(00)00187-9

Objectives: Concerns have been raised over the possibility of transmission of porcine endogenous retrovirus ( PERV) to porcine xenograft recipients. Methods: To help assess this risk, diagnostic assays capable of detection of an active, latent or cleared PERV infection, and the presence of pig cell microchimerism have been developed by a number of groups. Retrospective studies of patients exposed to living pig tissues have been performed using these assays to look for evidence of cross species transmission. Results: To date no evidence of PERV infection has been found in studies of humans exposed to pig tissues, despite evidence of long lived microchimerism. Conclusions: These data suggest that PERV infection has not occurred in a clinical setting. However, as infection has been seen in a small animal model further investigation of the risk from PERV is warranted.