SARS-CoV-2 systemic infection in a kidney transplant recipient: sequence analysis in clinical specimens

M. Monne, R. Asproni, T. Fancello, G. Piras, V. Sulis, A.R. Floris, F. Sanna, A. Toja, P. Paffi, A. Carai, G. Mameli, M. Fiamma

Laboratorio Specialistico UOC Ematologia – Ospedale “San Francesco”, ATS-ASSL Nuoro, Italy. giuseppe.mameli@atssardegna.it

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• Infectious Diseases

OBJECTIVE: Herein we report clinical and virological data in a patient with COVID-19 infection and a prior history of kidney transplantation who had a good clinical recovery despite systemic infection.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: Reverse transcriptase quantitative PCR analysis for the RdRp, N and E target genes detected viral RNA in different types of biological specimens. Whole viral genome sequences were obtained and analyzed from respiratory tract, feces and blood.

RESULTS: Viral sequences showed high (~99.9%) homology with the Wuhan seafood market pneumonia virus. Phylogenetic analysis assigned of the SARS-CoV-2 strains to clade G. A rare variant in the orf1ab gene was present in both sequences, while a missense variant was detected only in viral RNA from stool.

CONCLUSIONS: The evolution of the COVID-19 systemic infection in the patient presented here was favorable to the hypothesis that immunosuppressive therapy in organ transplant recipients might be involved in viral dissemination. A missense mutation was present in only one specimen from the same patient implying the occurrence of a mutational event in viral RNA, which is suggestive for the presence of an active virus, even though viral isolation is necessary to demonstrate infectivity.

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