Low incidence of severe respiratory syncytial virus infections in lung transplant recipients despite the absence of specific therapy

Abstract

Our data suggest that mild RSV infections in LTRs might evolve favorably in the absence of specific anti-viral therapy. However, this observation needs confirmation in a large clinical trial specifically investigating the development of BOS in untreated vs treated patients.

Oral versus inhaled ribavirin therapy for respiratory syncytial virus infection after lung transplantation

“…The study did not include an untreated control group, reflecting the evolution of clinical practice at our center; however, a comparison of the incidence of BOS in both groups in the current study with untreated lung recipients with RSV in previous published studies is instructive. 21 Our sample size was small but larger than previously reported cohorts receiving intravenous and oral ribavirin. Importantly, although clinician choice for oral vs inhaled ribavirin therapy may have potentially been skewed by RSV severity or other underlying patient characteristics, no statistically significant differences were found in any measured parameters between the 2 treatment groups.…”

Clinical Outcomes of Paramyxovirus Infections in Lung Transplant Recipients Treated With Oral Ribavirin: A Two-Center Case Series

“…[15][16][17] Despite improved diagnostic yield, there remains a lack of well-studied definitive therapies for management of these viruses in our patients. 18 Several primarily small, single-center studies have described short-term outcomes of different formulations of ribavirin for the treatment of paramyxoviruses in lung transplant recipients. 8,14 Our study has several unique features.…”

RSV prevention and treatment in pediatric lung transplant patients: A survey of current practices among the International Pediatric Lung Transplant Collaborative

“…Some studies have linked RVIs to BOS in adult transplant recipients (17, 31, 32); though, the relationship in pediatric patients is less clear (3). Furthermore, the utility of RSV treatment in reducing the incidence and severity of BOS for both pediatric and adult transplant recipients is uncertain (8). However, nearly all IPLTC centers in our survey continue to treat RSV infections in pediatric lung transplant recipients.…”