Torque teno virus among dialysis and renal-transplant patients

Patients who undergo dialysis treatment or a renal transplant have a high risk of blood-borne viral infections, including the Torque teno virus (TTV). This study identified the presence of TTV and its genome groups in blood samples from 118 patients in dialysis and 50 renal-transplant recipients. The research was conducted in a hospital in the city of Maringá, state of Paraná. The viral DNA, obtained from whole blood, was identified by using two nested Polymerase Chain Reactions (PCR). The frequencies of TTV were 17% and 36% in dialysis patients using the methodology proposed by Nishizawa et al. (1997) and Devalle and Niel (2004), respectively, and 10% and 54% among renal-transplant patients. There was no statistically significant association between the frequency of the pathogen and the variables: gender, time in dialysis, time since transplant, blood transfusions, and the concomitant presence of hepatitis B, for either the dialysis patients or the renal-transplant recipients. Among dialysis patients and renal-transplant recipients, genogroup 5 was predominant (48% and 66% respectively), followed by genogroup 4 (37% and 48%) and genogroup 1 (23% and 25%). Genogroup 2 was present in both groups of patients. Some patients had several genogroups, but 46% of the dialysis patients and 51% of the renal-transplant recipients had only a single genogroup. This study showed a high prevalence of TTV in dialysis patients and renal-transplant recipients.(AU)

Carriage frequency, phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from dialysis and kidney tranplant patients at a hosptial in northern Paraná

The objective of the present study was to determine the frequency of Staphylococcus aureus nasal carriage among dialysis and kidney transplant patients, to identify the antimicrobial resistance profile of these strains and to verify their genetic profiles with the RW3A primer. The study included 159 individuals, comprising 111 dialysis and 48 kidney transplant patients. Of the 48 transplant patients, 75% were positive for S. aureus, whereas 49% of the 111 dialysis patients were carriers. Two samples yielded conflicting results for oxacillin sensitivity between the disk diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) assays: both were sensitive by the disk diffusion assay and resistant by MIC (4 g/ml). In the antibiogram by disk diffusion, ten samples were resistant to cefoxitin, among which eight were also resistant to oxacillin. The resistance of the ten samples to cefoxitin by the disk diffusion assay was confirmed by MIC. Of the ten oxacillin-resistant samples, eight harbored the mecA gene. All samples were sensitive to vancomycin, and most were resistant to penicillin and demonstrated high rates of resistance to the other antimicrobials tested. The samples from dialysis patients exhibited a more homogenous genetic profile. Among the samples with a high percent similarity, no correlation with sensitivity or resistance to oxacillin was observed. According to the results of this study, the implementation of prevention and control measures, such as increased restrictions on prescriptions for antimicrobial drugs and nasal decontamination prior to high-risk procedures, is recommended.