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Updated: Dec 25, 2025
Murine Kidney Transplant Technique
Published on: October 20, 2015
COVID-19 in posttransplant patients-report of 2 cases
Jiaofeng Huang1, Heng Lin2, Yinlian Wu1
1Department of Liver Research Center, the First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China.
Insights
Two transplant recipients with COVID-19 experienced severe lung injury and succumbed despite treatment. Low T cell counts after infection may indicate a poor prognosis for transplant patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Transplantation Medicine
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global pandemic.
- Transplant recipients often require immunosuppressive therapy, increasing vulnerability to infections.
Observation:
- Two cases of COVID-19 in posttransplant patients (renal and bone marrow) are presented.
- Both patients were on immunosuppressants with stable graft function prior to infection.
- Despite treatment adjustments, including methylprednisolone and antibiotics, severe lung injury progressed.
Findings:
- Both transplant recipients exhibited extremely low T cell counts following COVID-19 infection.
- Outcomes were poor, with both patients dying despite maximal mechanical ventilatory support.
- Low T cell counts may serve as a prognostic indicator for severe outcomes in transplant patients with COVID-19.
Implications:
- The prognosis for COVID-19 pneumonia in transplant recipients is guarded.
- Monitoring T cell counts could aid in risk stratification for these vulnerable patients.
- Further research is needed to understand COVID-19's impact on immunocompromised individuals post-transplantation.
Abstract:
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a pandemic since March 2020. We describe here 2 cases of COVID-19 infection in a posttransplant setting. First one is a 59-year-old renal transplant recipient; the second is a 51-year-old allogeneic bone marrow transplant recipient. Both patients were on immunosuppressant therapy and had stable graft function before COVID-19 infection. After the diagnosis of COVID-19, immunosuppressive agents were discontinued and methylprednisolone with prophylactic antibiotics were initiated, however, the lung injury progressed. The T cells were extremely low in both patients after infection. Both patients died despite the maximal mechanical ventilatory support. Therefore, the prognosis of COVID-19 pneumonia following transplantation is not optimistic and remains guarded. Lower T cell count may be a surrogate for poor outcome.
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