A comparative study of BK and JC virus infections in organ transplant recipients.

JC virus (JCV) rarely causes kidney disease, whereas BK virus (BKV) is a known cause of viral nephropathy. Existing studies on prevalence of JCV in healthy and transplanted subjects have reported only qualitative detection of viral DNA. We used quantitative PCR (qPCR) to assess JC viral load in transplant recipients and non-immunosuppressed controls, and compared JCV loads to BKV loads.

Correlates of quantitative measurement of BK polyomavirus (BKV) DNA with clinical course of BKV infection in renal transplant patients.

BK virus-allograft nephropathy (BKVAN) is an increasingly recognized complication after kidney transplantation. Quantitative tests have been advocated to monitor patients, but data demonstrating their efficacy are relatively limited. We developed a real-time PCR assay to quantitate BK virus loads in the setting of renal transplantation, and we correlated the BK virus load with clinical course and with the presence of BK virus in renal biopsy specimens.