We reviewed the impact of dengue in 27 renal transplant recipients (9 females and 18 males) at a mean of 63 (6-287) months after transplantation. Their mean age was 37+/-14 years and all were first transplantations (21 live donors, 6 deceased donors). Twenty-six were dengue fever cases and one had dengue hemorrhagic fever. Symptoms were: fever (100%), muscular pain (90%), malaise (75%), and headache (68%). Eight (29%) patients were admitted to hospital with one death. All other cases had full recovery. Mean serum creatinine before dengue was 1.4+/-0.6 mg/dL, increased to a mean peak of 1.9+/-1.2 mg/dL (P<0.001), and returned to baseline after recovery (1.6+/-0.82 mg/dL, P=NS). After a mean follow-up of 39+/-18 months, four patients lost their grafts due to chronic allograft nephropathy and four died, due to infectious causes not related to dengue. The first episode of dengue in transplanted patients resembled a flu-like syndrome, as in the general population. It did not cause long-term damage to either the patient or the graft.

Cyclophosphamide (CP) has been used for over 40 years in patients with steroid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome (SSNS) presenting frequent relapses or steroid dependence (SD). We evaluated retrospectively and tried to identify parameters possibly associated with a prolonged and sustained remission (PSR+) ≥5 years in 108 children with steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome (SDNS) treated with oral CP. Patients had a follow-up time ≥5 years and were divided into two groups according to achievement of PSR (+ and -). Gender, histological injury, cumulative doses of CP, age of onset of illness, and start of treatment and prednisone dose on the occasion of relapse were analyzed. The overall cumulative sustained remission for 5 and 10 years was 25 and 21.6%, respectively. The only factor that influenced a PSR was the degree of SD: the group PSR+ relapsed at prednisone dose of 0.96 ± 0.51 mg/kg vs. 1.29 ± 0.59 mg/kg in group PSR- (p = 0.01). Also, patients who relapsed in the presence of prednisone doses ≤1.4 mg/kg showed a cumulative sustained remission of 43, 35, and 32.7% at 2, 5, and 10 years, respectively, versus 22.5, 12.5, and 5% in those with prednisone >1.4 mg/kg (p = 0.001). Our findings suggest that patients with SDNS who relapse on prednisone dose >1.4 mg/kg are especially prone to an unfavorable response to CP use.

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Kidney transplantation is the treatment of choice for patients with end‐stage renal disease. In the posttransplant period, the induced immunosuppression leads to an increased risk of developing infectious diseases, a leading cause of death after kidney transplantation. Human pegivirus‐1 (HPgV‐1) is considered a nonpathogenic human virus and is highly frequent in individuals parenterally exposed, however, its impact on kidney transplantation outcome is poorly understood. Given the scarcity of epidemiological data for this infection on organ recipients in Brazil, we conducted a study in a single center for kidney transplantation in Rio de Janeiro, aiming to determine HPgV‐1 prevalence and genotypic distribution. Serum samples from 61 renal recipients, followed up for the first year after transplantation, were evaluated for viral RNA and genotypes were determined by sequencing of the 5′‐untranslated region. HPgV‐1 RNA was detected in 36.1% (22/61) of patients. Genotype 2 was the most commonly found (80.9%), followed by genotypes 3 (9.5%), 1, and 5, in 4.8% each. Statistical comparisons did not reveal any significant impact of HPgV‐1 in patient outcome. Further epidemiologic studies are needed to understand if immunosuppression may interfere in HPgV‐1 persistence rates and if viremia might impact graft dysfunction rates in kidney recipients.