COVID-19 seropositive donors yield comparable post-lung transplant outcomes.

Background: Recent reports have suggested that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection can cause pneumonitis even in the absence of clinical symptoms and COVID-19 associated pulmonary inflammation can persist resulting in long-term fibrosis. This single-center study utilized standardized immunological testing to determine whether lungs from COVID-19 seropositive donors, indicative of past COVID-19 infection, can be safely used for clinical transplantation.

Methods: The study included 90 consecutive lung transplant procedures incorporating donor serological testing for past COVID-19 infection.

Outcomes in solid organ transplant recipients receiving organs from a donor with Fusarium solani species complex meningitis.

Background: Five organs (heart, right lung, liver, right, and left kidneys) from a deceased patient were transplanted into five recipients in four US states; the deceased patient was identified as part of a healthcare-associated fungal meningitis outbreak among patients who underwent epidural anesthesia in Matamoros, Mexico.

Methods: After transplant surgeries occurred, Fusarium solani species complex, a fungal pathogen with a high case-mortality rate, was identified in cerebrospinal fluid from the organ donor by metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) and fungal-specific polymerase chain reaction and in plasma by mNGS.

Results: Four of five transplant recipients received recommended voriconazole prophylaxis; four were monitored weekly by serum (1-3)-β-d-glucan testing.

Predictors of Cytomegalovirus Recurrence Following Cessation of Posttransplant Prophylaxis.

Introduction: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is associated with a poor prognosis after lung transplantation, and donor and recipient CMV serostatus is a risk factor for reactivation. CMV prophylaxis is commonly administered in the first year following transplantation to reduce CMV infection; however, the risk factors for long-term reactivation remain unclear. We investigated the timing and risk factors of CMV infection after prophylactic administration.

Lung donation following SARS-CoV-2 infection.

There have been over 177 million cases of COVID-19 worldwide, many of whom could be organ donors. Concomitantly, there is an anticipated increase in the need for donor lungs due to expanding indications. Given that the respiratory tract is most commonly affected by COVID-19, there is an urgent need to develop donor assessment criteria while demonstrating safety and "efficacy" of lung donation following COVID-19 infection.