BK Polyomavirus: Immunopathology and Therapeutic Approaches

A special issue of Biomedicines (ISSN 2227-9059). This special issue belongs to the section "Immunology and Immunotherapy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2027 | Viewed by 861

Editors


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Guest Editor
Virology Department, Amiens University Hospital Center, 80054 Amiens, France
Interests: regulation of BK polyomavirus persistence by micro-RNAs; viral monitoring in kidney transplantation; identification of biomarkers and risk factors of BK polyomavirus-associated pathologies

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Virology Department, Amiens University Hospital Center, 80054 Amiens, France
Interests: adaptive resistance; HBV DNA; HCV RNA

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue, “BK Polyomavirus: Immunopathology and Therapeutic Approaches”, will mainly focus on the understanding of immune and viral balance in life-long infection with BK polyomavirus. It will also aim to bring new approaches to prevent, diagnose, or cure BK polyomavirus-associated diseases.

Most individuals are persistently infected with BK polyomavirus. The factors that maintain this persistence, or break it down to lead to pathologies such as nephropathy and hemorrhagic cystitis, are unknown. Immune system impairment, particularly due to medication during solid organ or hematopoietic stem cell transplants, is the main risk factor for the development of diseases associated with BK polyomavirus. Understanding the immunopathology of this infection is necessary for the development of preventive and curative therapies, which remain ineffective today.

We invite authors in the field to submit original research or review articles pertaining to this important and fast-progressing field of biomedicine.

Dr. Baptiste Demey
Prof. Dr. Sandrine Castelain
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • virus–host interactions
  • antiviral agents
  • host-directed antivirals
  • BK polyomavirus
  • viral immune evasion
  • neutralizing antibodies
  • transplantation
  • biomarkers

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

11 pages, 364 KB  
Article
Unveiling Donor-Derived BKPyV DNAemia Through Analysis of Contralateral Kidney Transplant Recipients
by Wouter T. Moest, A. Lianne Messchendorp, Helma Dolmans, Cynthia Konijn-Janssen, Stan van den Eijnden, Milou van Bruchem, Ineke Tieken, Maarten H. L. Christiaans, Arjan D. van Zuilen, Marcia M. L. Kho, Irma Stijnman, Frederike J. Bemelman, Jan-Stephan S. Sanders, Mariet C. W. Feltkamp, Aiko P. J. de Vries and Joris I. Rotmans
Biomedicines 2026, 14(4), 820; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines14040820 - 3 Apr 2026
Viewed by 578
Abstract
Background: BK polyomavirus (BKPyV) infection is of notable concern in kidney transplant recipients, as it can cause BKPyV-associated nephropathy (BKPyVAN). Currently, there is no effective treatment for BKPyV infection, underscoring the need for preventive strategies. There is emerging evidence that donor-derived BKPyV plays [...] Read more.
Background: BK polyomavirus (BKPyV) infection is of notable concern in kidney transplant recipients, as it can cause BKPyV-associated nephropathy (BKPyVAN). Currently, there is no effective treatment for BKPyV infection, underscoring the need for preventive strategies. There is emerging evidence that donor-derived BKPyV plays a role in the development of BKPyV DNAemia. To further explore this hypothesis, we conducted a retrospective, multi-center cohort study to evaluate the risk of developing BKPyV DNAemia in kidney recipient pairs sharing the same donor. Methods: At the Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), deceased donor kidney transplant recipients (2011–2021) were identified and classified according to the occurrence of BKPyV DNAemia within the first year post-transplantation. For each recipient, the contralateral kidney recipient from the same donor was identified through national transplant registries. Cox regression was used to assess whether BKPyV DNAemia in the LUMC recipient was associated with an increased risk of BKPyV DNAemia in the contralateral recipient. Results: Among 117 recipient pairs, BKPyV DNAemia was more frequent when the contralateral recipient was affected (28.8% [15/52]), compared with pairs in which the contralateral recipient remained unaffected (10.8% [7/65], p = 0.013). Multivariable Cox regression analysis confirmed this increased risk (HR 4.9, 95% CI: 1.8–13.6; p = 0.002). Conclusions: This study shows a significantly increased risk of BKPyV DNAemia in recipients of deceased donor kidneys when the contralateral kidney recipient develops BKPyV DNAemia. These findings highlight the influence of donor-derived factors in BKPyV transmission in kidney transplantation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue BK Polyomavirus: Immunopathology and Therapeutic Approaches)
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