Abstract
Coccidioidomycosis is a fungal infection caused by Coccidioides species endemic to the southwestern United States, where it poses unique challenges for transplant recipients. Donor-derived coccidioidomycosis has been documented, but its risk of transmission is not known. We prospectively screened 568 healthy persons requesting evaluation for possible liver or kidney donation. Twelve (2.1%) of the 568 donor candidates were seropositive (11 initially and 1 with seroconversion and symptomatic illness within 1 week after negative screening). Three of these 12 patients proceeded to kidney donation, and a fourth patient proceeded to liver donation. None of the 4 transplant recipients received special coccidioidal prophylaxis, although all were administered fluconazole according to standard antifungal prophylaxis protocols. At follow-up (7-54 months), no coccidioidomycosis was identified in any recipient. The prevalence of coccidioidal antibodies was low among potential organ donor candidates, but the risk of donor-derived coccidioidomycosis remains unknown and further study is warranted.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 78-82 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Transplant Infectious Disease |
Volume | 9 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Mar 2007 |
Keywords
- Coccidioidomycosis
- Disease transmission
- Mycoses
- Prophylaxis
- Transplants
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Transplantation
- Infectious Diseases